U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has landed in Istanbul as negotiations are set to commence in an effort to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Originally scheduled for Thursday, the talks were postponed to Friday to give time for the Ukrainian delegation’s arrival.
While Rubio is not anticipated to partake in the first round of face-to-face discussions between Russia and Ukraine, he mentioned that he and other U.S. officials would hold separate meetings with representatives from Ukraine and Turkey in the morning.
Michael Anton, the Director for Policy Planning, will represent the United States in lower-level discussions with the Russian delegation on Friday, according to U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry indicated that a meeting involving Turkish, U.S., and Ukrainian officials is set for 10:45 a.m. local time, followed by discussions among Turkish, Russian, and Ukrainian delegations at 12:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Rubio engaged with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha in Antalya during a NATO meeting. The U.S. Secretary expressed that Washington’s patience was wearing thin regarding the stalled peace initiatives and was now receptive to “virtually any mechanism” that might facilitate a breakthrough.
“I don’t think – we don’t have high expectations of what will transpire tomorrow. Frankly, it’s clear that the only way to achieve a breakthrough is through discussions between President Trump and President Putin,” Rubio told reporters in Antalya.
These comments were made shortly after President Donald Trump, who is on a Middle Eastern tour this week, stated, “nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together.” Trump mentioned on Friday that he would return to Washington, D.C. after previously considering attending the negotiations in Turkey if President Putin agreed to participate.
The Kremlin leader declined President Zelensky’s invitation for a personal meeting during the negotiations, instead designating his aide and former culture minister, Vladimir Medinsky, to lead the discussions. Medinsky had also overseen Russia’s 2022 peace talks with Ukraine, which ultimately fell through.
Putin suggested direct talks with Kyiv in a surprise address from the Kremlin early Sunday morning, effectively dismissing a Western-supported 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that was intended to begin this week.
Reports included contributions from Reuters and AFP.
