US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tempered expectations regarding the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday, following Moscow’s dispatch of a low-profile delegation and a series of verbal exchanges between the two sides preceding the negotiations.
“I want to be frank… we do not have high expectations for the outcome of tomorrow’s discussions,” Mr. Rubio told reporters after NATO talks in Antalya, Turkey, mirroring sentiments expressed earlier by President Donald Trump.
The US President indicated that significant progress in Turkey was improbable, stating that substantial movement towards ending the conflict would not occur until he engaged in direct dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dispatched a delegation to Istanbul for the first direct peace talks with Russia in three years, while also downplaying the likelihood of a breakthrough, asserting that Moscow was “not serious” about ending the conflict.
Following a period of uncertainty marked by mutual recriminations and doubts regarding Ukraine’s participation, President Zelensky confirmed Ukraine’s attendance.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, accompanied by approximately a dozen deputy-level officials, travelled to Istanbul via Ankara with a mandate to pursue a ceasefire.
President Zelensky indicated that the talks could take place on Thursday or Friday.
Kyiv expressed dissatisfaction with what President Zelensky termed the “dummy” delegation of relatively junior officials sent by Russia, following repeated calls for President Putin’s personal involvement.
However, host nation Turkey remained optimistic, and Russia’s chief negotiator stated that Moscow was prepared to discuss “possible compromises” during the talks.
“Unfortunately, they are not taking the real negotiations very seriously,” President Zelensky told reporters following a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Nevertheless, “out of respect” for Presidents Erdogan and Trump, President Zelensky confirmed that he would send a reduced delegation, led by Minister Umerov, to Istanbul to press for a cessation of the three-year conflict.
The Russian delegation is being led by Vladimir Medinsky, a hawkish advisor to President Putin who has questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty and who led the failed talks in 2022 at the onset of the war.
A spokesperson confirmed that the Russian delegation met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after having waited for the Ukrainian delegation at the designated venue in Istanbul throughout the day.”
