Breakthrough for peace in Ukraine only possible after direct Trump–Putin meeting – Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington has "no high expectations" for the Ukraine–Russia talks in Istanbul, and that a breakthrough toward peace is only possible after a direct conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
He made the statement on 15 May in Turkey following his participation in the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, according to Censor.NET.
The U.S. Secretary of State said he would meet with Turkey’s foreign minister and the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul tomorrow, 16 May.
This comes as officials from Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to meet for direct negotiations on 15 May. However, Rubio said the U.S. is "not placing high hopes" on these talks.
"It's my assessment that I don't think we're going to have a breakthrough here until the president [Trump] and President Putin interact directly on this topic," he official.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the composition of the Russian delegation, calling it a "decorative."
Echoing that sentiment, Rubio said the level of the Russian delegation "does not indicate a breakthrough."
"I hope I’m wrong. I hope I’m 100% wrong. I hope tomorrow the news says they've agreed a ceasefire. But that’s not my assessment," he noted.
Rubio added that after the talks in Istanbul conclude tomorrow, the United States will determine the timeline for a potential meeting between Putin and Trump.
As a reminder, U.S. President Donald Trump earlier stated that there would be no progress in peace negotiations over Russia’s war against Ukraine until he meets with the Kremlin dictator, Vladimir Putin.
Talks in Turkey
On the night of May 11, Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine "without any preconditions" in Turkey on May 15.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine must immediately agree to Russia’s proposal for direct talks in Turkey.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would personally wait for Putin on May 15. He also noted that he would like Trump to be present in Turkey as well.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin officially approved the composition of the delegation that will travel to Istanbul on May 15 for negotiations with Ukraine.
On May 15, the Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for talks with Ukraine.
It was later reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would send a Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul for negotiations with the Russian side.
Russian media later reported that the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul had been rescheduled for May 16.
