Day 1,177.

Today, as Vladimir Putin rejects mounting Western pressure to attend peace talks in Turkey with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, attention turns to the controversial delegation he's sending in his place. Who are these representatives, and why are international diplomats describing their presence as an ‘insult’ to the peace process? Plus, we report on a new monument to Joseph Stalin unveiled in Moscow, and investigate how Russia’s military build-up is accelerating, not slowing, despite the war’s toll.

Contributors:

Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.

Dom Nicholls (Associate Editor for Defence). @DomNicholls on X.

Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent). @Barnes_Joe on X.

James Kilner (Foreign Correspondent). @jkjourno on X.

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Content Referenced:

‘A potentially historic day descends into chaos’ (The Telegraph Live Blog):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/05/15/russia-ukraine-peace-talks-turkey-putin-zelensky-trump/

A glimpse inside Putin’s secret arms empire (The Economist)

https://www.economist.com/interactive/briefing/2025/05/08/a-glimpse-inside-putins-secret-arms-empire

Zelensky to travel to Turkey for peace talks regardless of Putin’s plans (Financial Times):

https://www.ft.com/content/a43c7876-7d7b-4d1c-96fd-98b60a1c6223

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Putin ‘no-show’ at peace talks as potentially historic day descends into chaos

Ukraine: The Latest

Putin ‘no-show’ at peace talks as potentially historic day descends into chaos