Russia's empty delegation delays hopes for Ukraine peace talks
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, criticised Russia's lack of seriousness in discussions aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. During the NATO summit in Antalya, he stated that the delegation sent by Moscow offers no hope for genuine negotiations and that further unproductive meetings are pointless.
Speaking to journalists in Antalya, Turkey, during the NATO foreign ministers' meeting, Rubio explained that the only real chance for a breakthrough in negotiations might be a direct conversation between President Donald Trump and President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. He referred to the inconsistent approach of the Russian side. He noted that although the Kremlin proposed talks in Turkey, it ultimately sent a lower-level delegation without Putin, despite Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelling to Turkey and Donald Trump confirming his presence. In his view, the calibre of the Russian delegation, headed by Putin's advisor and former Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinsky, does not inspire serious expectations.
Well, we are not going to – we haven’t been chasing this around the world anymore. I mean, that’s already happened (...), 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. You all heard the same thing. That was not to be the be case, or, if it is, it’s not at the levels we had hoped it would be at—Rubio said.
He added that he hopes for a successful course of talks, but remains sceptical.
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 is certain: Russia will not agree
Rubio assessed that due to the current course of events and the structure of the talks, he does not expect Russia to agree to a ceasefire on Friday or to engage in constructive negotiations.
At the same time, he assured that President Trump is prepared to engage in the peace process for as long as necessary.
The only way we’re going to have a breakthrough here is with President Trump sitting face to face with President Putin and determining, once and for all, whether there’s a path to peace and, if so, what it is—Rubio stressed.
He also noted plans to meet with the Turkish Foreign Minister and a high-level Ukrainian delegation on Friday. Conversely, he emphasised that the Russian side will be represented by someone "at the appropriate level".
