U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he does not expect a breakthrough in negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation until U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin interact directly, UNN reports, citing Sky News.
Details
Rubio spoke in Turkey this evening after attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
The U.S. Secretary of State said he will meet with the Turkish Foreign Minister and a delegation from Ukraine in Istanbul tomorrow.
This comes as officials from Ukraine and Russia are due to meet for direct talks today, but Rubio said the U.S. "does not have high hopes" for the talks.
In my assessment, I don't think we're going to have a breakthrough here until the President (Trump) and President Putin are directly engaged on this issue
Add
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the level of delegation sent by Russia, calling them "spares". Echoing those sentiments, Rubio said the level of the team sent by Russia "does not indicate a breakthrough."
"I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm 100% wrong," Rubio added. "I hope the news tomorrow will say they agreed to a ceasefire. But that's not my assessment."
He says that once the talks in Istanbul are over tomorrow, the U.S. will determine the timing of a possible meeting between Putin and Trump.
Recall
Russian dictator vladimir putin decided not to participate in the Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul on May 15. Instead, the delegation was led by assistant vladimir medinsky. The delegation also included Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin and Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Fomin.