[Marco Rubio: The U.S. participates in negotiations this way; without a summit between Trump and Putin, there will be no progress in peace talks.]
On May 15, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that he would not attend the Ukraine-Russia negotiation on Friday. He expects that no progress will be made in the peace talks until a face-to-face meeting takes place between Trump and Putin, "We don't have high expectations for tomorrow's meeting."
Rubio pointed out that he does not believe that significant breakthroughs will be achieved in the negotiations regarding Russia's war against Ukraine before a direct meeting between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin. However, he added that he plans to meet with the Ukrainian delegation participating in the negotiations and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Yermak on Friday, May 16. At the same time, he said that "some people from our team" will participate in the negotiations with Russia. "They sent a low-level delegation. I hope these negotiations can take place between Ukraine and Russia, with the presence of our Turkish colleagues and appropriate-level personnel from our team." Rubio also mentioned that he originally only planned to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Ankara, Turkey. During this meeting, he stated that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has no military solution and will ultimately end through diplomatic means. The earlier a peace agreement is reached, the fewer casualties and destruction there will be.
Rubio said, "But we are here because we were told that Russians and Ukrainians might have direct contact. That was the original plan. You all heard the same news. But that didn't happen. Even if it did, it wouldn't reach the level we expected. I hope I am wrong. I don't think there will be a breakthrough before the presidents (Trump) and Putin directly discuss this issue."
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832243373581324/
Disclaimer: This article solely represents the views of the author.