Russia's former culture minister and Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky took part in failed talks with Ukraine at the start of Moscow's invasion in 2022 and has built a career promoting an ultra-patriotic version of Russian history.

With tens of thousands killed and Russia occupying a fifth of Ukraine's territory, President Vladimir Putin has once again charged him with leading peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had pressed Putin -- who proposed the Russia-Ukraine talks -- to attend in person.

But despite international pressure, including from some of Moscow's allies, the Kremlin announced hours before the talks it was sending Medinsky.

The move was seen as a snub to Kyiv and raised questions about how seriously Moscow is taking the talks.

The 54-year-old Medinsky has risen through........

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