US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend Russia talks in Istanbul
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that he will not be present at the Russia-Ukraine negotiations on Friday, May 16, CNN reports.
Rubio also stated that he does not expect a breakthrough in the negotiations over the war in Ukraine until US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet face-to-face.
"We'll wait to see what happens tomorrow, and then those decisions will be made about a timeline and when, where those meetings would happen," Rubio said.
It is likely that Rubio will not attend the negotiations because Russia has sent a lower-level delegation.
At the same time, the US Secretary of State said he would meet on May 16 with Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and other members of the Ukrainian delegation.
Talks in Istanbul
Earlier, Putin ignored Ukraine and the EU's demand for an immediate ceasefire. Instead, he proposed resuming negotiations based on the terms of 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to Putin's proposal for direct talks between Ukraine and Russia by saying he would wait for Putin in Türkiye on May 15.
However, Putin ignored Zelenskyy's offer. It was later revealed that Putin sent a low-level delegation instead, headed by his aide Vladimir Medinsky.
Today, Zelenskyy officially signed a decree approving the composition of the Ukrainian delegation for the talks with Russia.
More details about the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are available in the RBC-Ukraine material.
