The United States doesn’t have “high expectations” for Russia-Ukraine talks, which are poised to take place on Friday, May 16, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday night ahead of his trip to Istanbul.
In a briefing for the traveling US press following NATO engagements in Antalya, the top US diplomat said he would meet with Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, and a senior Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul on Friday.
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This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on May 15, 2025, shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (CR), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (CL), (from L) Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiga, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak attending a meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara. (Photo by TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP)
Separate talks will also be held between other US officials and a “lower-level” Russian delegation.
The US also hopes for engagements between Ukraine and Russia, with Turkish counterparts in the room, “along with someone from our [US] team or members of our [US] team at the appropriate level,” as Rubio put it.
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The Ukrainian president argued that pressure cannot be one-sided in peace talks and called for more pressure on Moscow.
In the meantime, he went on to add that the “level” of the team sent by the Russian side to Istanbul was “certainly not indicative” of a breakthrough in peace talks.
“I hope I’m one hundred percent wrong,” he emphasized. “I hope tomorrow [May 16] the news says they’ve agreed to a ceasefire [and] they’ve agreed to enter serious negotiations. Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to lead to that,” he suggested.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also criticized Moscow for sending a “decorative” delegation to the talks.
Rubio then went on to add that he didn’t think “anything productive is actually going to happen from this point forward” until the US and Russian leaders engage in a “very frank and direct conversation.”When pressed by Kyiv Post’s correspondent about Trump’s original initiative to urge Zelensky to accept a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rubio said the US leader is “the only one who can break this logjam”.
Trump, he explained, “just wants to end the war, he doesn’t care who gets credit for it.”
“I think it’s abundantly clear that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin,” Rubio emphasized, adding that Trump is “willing” to have this conversation and “impatient” to end the war.
Rubio also made it clear that the US is not withdrawing as mediators but expressed skepticism about the current format of the talks.
Asked by Kyiv Post about criticism over Washington’s new approach for talks, which is a departure from longstanding US policy of “no talks about Ukraine without Ukraine”, Rubio pushed back, stating that Trump’s sees an opportunity to be a catalyst for peace and is committed to this effort.
The US should be commended for its efforts to achieve peace, not criticized, he insisted.
As for Trump’s timeline for a potential meeting with Putin, Rubio said it would depend on the outcome of the current talks.
Kyiv Post also asked Rubio about the American stance on inviting Zelensky to the next NATO summit in June.
He clarified that Washington did not oppose inviting Zelensky, contrary to media reports.