Rubio slams Russian delegation in Istanbul, says breakthrough unlikely

He said this to journalists on Thursday in Antalya after an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

Rubio confirmed that representatives of the U.S. and Turkey will participate in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, which has sent a  more lower-level group over here."

"But I want to be frank: I don't think we have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow. Honestly, at this point, I think it's absolutely clear that the only way to achieve a breakthrough is (negotiations – Ed.) between President Trump and Putin," he added.

The Secretary of State expressed his belief that Putin is ready for dialogue with Trump "and to finally determine the way forward and what that path is."

Rubio also directly pointed out the level of the Russian delegation, which, according to him, "does not indicate a breakthrough."

“I was going to be here anyways, obviously,” for a NATO meeting, Rubio said, “but we came because we were told that there might be a direct engagement between the Russians and the Ukrainians.”

"I would like to be wrong, but honestly, I don't believe we will achieve a breakthrough until President Trump sits down at the negotiating table with Putin and clarifies what his intentions are for the future," the Secretary of State noted, adding that, in his opinion, Trump shares this assessment.

Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul

In a nighttime address on May 11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed he was ready for direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next week, but he dismissed the idea of a 30-day truce. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would keep working with both sides and predicted that the coming week would be “great.”

On May 12, the German government announced that if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners would begin preparations for new sanctions. In contrast, the Kremlin stated that “the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia.”

Advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not meet with any Russian representative other than Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15. Later, Zelenskyy himself confirmed his personal visit to Turkey for a meeting with Putin.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the talks in Istanbul with Kyiv should recognize the "realities on the ground," including Russia’s incorporation of Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if his meeting with the Russian leader takes place on May 15 in Turkey, the main topics of discussion will be a complete ceasefire and a full exchange of prisoners of war.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not be present during the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Turkey on May 15.