Rubio won’t participate in talks in Istanbul as Russians send lower-level group there – media

09:09, 16.05.2025 1 min read

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he will not attend Friday talks in Istanbul on the war in Ukraine because the Russians have sent a "lower-level" team there, CNN reports.

“They sent a more lower-level group over here. I hope that those talks will be between Ukraine and Russia, with our Turkish counterparts in the room, along with someone from our team or members of our team at the appropriate level,” he said.

He also stated that he "does not expect a breakthrough" [in the negotiations between the delegations] until US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in person.

“We don’t have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow,” the publication quoted Rubio as saying at a press conference in Antalya.

At the same time, he said that on Friday he would meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and the Ukrainian delegation.