Rubio criticizes Russian delegation as peace talks falter
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Russia's lack of seriousness in talks about ending the war in Ukraine. During the NATO summit in Antalya, he stated that the delegation sent by Moscow does not inspire hope for real negotiations, and continuing unproductive meetings is pointless.
In a conversation with journalists in Antalya, Turkey, during the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Rubio explained that the only real chance for a breakthrough in negotiations could be a direct conversation between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He referred to Russia's changing stances and the fact that the Kremlin—although it initially proposed talks in Turkey—ultimately sent a lower-level delegation without Putin, even though Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Turkey and Donald Trump declared his willingness to attend. According to Rubio, the level of the Russian delegation, led by Putin's advisor and former Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, does not offer grounds for serious expectations.
"Well, we are not going to – we haven’t been chasing this around the world anymore. I mean, that’s already happened. We came because we were told that there – I was going to be here anyways, obviously. But we came because we were told that there might be a direct engagement between the Russians and the Ukrainians; that was originally the plan," said Rubio.
He added that he hopes for a successful outcome of the talks but remains skeptical.
"I hope I’m wrong; I hope they have a tremendous breakthrough tomorrow if they talk. But I, frankly, do not believe that we’re going to have a breakthrough here until President Trump sits face to face with President Putin and determines what his intentions are moving forward," he added.
Rubio confident Russia won't agree
Rubio assessed that given the course of events so far and the structure of the talks, he does not expect Russia to agree on Friday to a ceasefire or to engage in constructive negotiations.
At the same time, he assured that President Trump is willing to engage in the peace process as long as necessary.
"I, frankly, do not believe that we’re going to have a breakthrough here until President Trump sits face to face with President Putin and determines what his intentions are moving forward," Rubio emphasized.
He also noted that he plans to meet on Friday with the Turkish foreign minister and a high-level Ukrainian delegation. As for the Russian side, he emphasized that it will be handled by a representative "at the appropriate level."
