The talks between the United States, Turkey, and Ukraine were held in Istanbul. After the meeting, which lasted about an hour, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that the meeting was positive. He stressed that Ukraine is ready for a complete and unconditional ceasefire and direct talks with Russia at the highest level.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said before arriving in Istanbul that he did not have high expectations from the talks. The Secretary of State expressed the opinion that the talks would not contribute to the start of the peace process in Ukraine. According to Rubio, they will begin only after the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. “I don’t know when or where it will happen, but right now it’s the only possibility,” Marco Rubio said.
Commenting on Vladimir Putin’s refusal to participate in direct talks with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul, which he himself initiated, Donald Trump also stated that without his meeting with the Russian President there will be no progress in the negotiations on a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. According to the head of the White House, this meeting should take place as soon as possible, “because too many people are dying.”
