US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he does not have high expectations for the upcoming talks in Istanbul, which are to be held on May 16 and are about ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. About this informs Sky News.
In comments to journalists in Antalya, where he participated in a ministerial meeting of NATO member countries, Rubio emphasized that a real breakthrough can be achieved only through direct dialogue between the presidents of the United States and Russia — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Against the background of the fact that the Russian side has sent, as Rubio notes, a “second-level team” to Turkey, he considers effective progress unlikely. On May 16, the state secretary plans to arrive in Istanbul for talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the Ukrainian delegation.
“In my estimation, I don’t think we’re going to have a breakthrough here until President Trump and President Putin start engaging on this directly.” Rubio emphasized.
We will remind that on May 15, Donald Trump made a similar statement. He noted that there will be no progress in the negotiations regarding Ukraine until he personally meets with Putin.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, while in Ankara for talks with the President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, confirmed his readiness to meet with Putin in Turkey. At the same time, he criticized the composition of the Russian delegation, which is headed by the assistant to the Russian president Volodymyr Medinsky, calling it “sham”.
Donald Trump did not rule out his participation in a potential meeting between Putin and Zelensky in Istanbul, if it does take place. However, the Russian president did not come to the talks. His press secretary, Dmytro Peskov, said on May 15 that “there are no plans for Putin’s visit to Istanbul at the moment,” and also added that “the preparations for the meeting of the leaders of Russia and the United States in the coming days are not yet underway.”
