U
S. Secretary of State expressed skepticism about the prospects of Istanbul negotiations between Ukraine and Russia In light of upcoming diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio once again emphasized his disbelief in the real chances of achieving significant progress during the planned negotiations in Istanbul. According to him, the level of expectations in Washington is quite modest, and instead, there is a sense that a substantial breakthrough is only possible with the involvement of the U.S. and Russian presidents — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Rubio, who recently returned from Antalya after an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, gave journalists an interview where he frankly expressed his position on the upcoming negotiation process. “I can be candid — I do not have high expectations for what will happen tomorrow in Istanbul. It is currently quite clear that the only way to a breakthrough is direct negotiations between the U.S. president and the Russian president,” the diplomat stated. According to Rubio, Moscow itself has a need for dialogue with Washington and is ready for an open discussion that would help determine the next steps. However, he also highlighted the level of the Russian delegation, which, in his opinion, “does not provide grounds for optimism,” as Russian representatives arrived with a “lower-level” delegation than most analysts expected. This, he says, indicates that achieving serious progress is currently unlikely. “I wish I could be mistaken, but honestly, I do not typically believe we can reach a breakthrough until President Trump sits at the negotiating table with Putin and clarifies his intentions,” Rubio concluded his position with this statement. He is convinced that a personal meeting between the two leaders is what will ultimately decide the fate of any foreign policy steps in this sphere. Meanwhile, an important piece of news was that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the eve of the negotiations, traveled to Ankara, hoping for cooperation with the Kremlin. It was expected that in Istanbul he would meet with Vladimir Putin. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov officially stated that Putin did not plan to participate in such negotiations. Instead, Russia sent a low-level delegation led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky. This raised further questions about Moscow’s genuine willingness for serious discussions. In response to this situation, Ukraine’s leader decided not to withdraw his delegation and instead sent Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rostym Umerov to Istanbul — as a representative capable of conducting a constructive dialogue. Despite the absence of a high-level Russian delegation, Zelensky remained committed to exploring possible peaceful solutions and diplomatic dialogue, which, however, causes surprise and some skepticism among international analysts regarding the effectiveness of such measures in the current situation.