ISTANBUL: US Senator Marco Rubio has said that any meaningful breakthrough in the Ukraine-Russia conflict is unlikely without a direct meeting between former President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to reporters after a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in southern Turkey, Rubio cast doubt on the effectiveness of the ongoing peace talks in Istanbul.
“I don’t think we’re going to have a breakthrough here until President Trump and President Putin interact directly on this topic,” he remarked.
His comments came shortly after Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One in an interview with the BBC, echoed a similar sentiment:
“Nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together… too many people are dying.”
While Trump initially expressed willingness to join Friday’s session in Istanbul “if appropriate,” he later hinted at a likely return to Washington, casting uncertainty over his participation.
Ukraine has confirmed a high-level delegation led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov will attend, while Russia’s delegation, headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, has drawn criticism for lacking senior leadership. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Moscow’s move “disrespectful” to both Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and renewed his call for a direct face-off with Putin.
These Istanbul negotiations are the first direct talks since 2022. Moscow has signaled it wants to resume where discussions left off, pushing for Ukrainian neutrality and the abandonment of NATO ambitions — conditions Kyiv continues to reject.
Meanwhile, intense fighting continues in eastern Donetsk. In response, the UK and Germany have urged stronger sanctions against Moscow to compel Russia back to credible peace efforts.
