Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed on the continuation of efforts for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine as they met in Türkiye on Thursday, diplomatic sources said.
Rubio said the only way a breakthrough will happen in the efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine would be through direct talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after Moscow sent a second-tier team to talks taking place in Türkiye.
Rubio, who spoke to reporters in Antalya, said he would travel to Istanbul for meetings on Friday with Fidan and a Ukrainian delegation, but said he did not have high expectations for the talks.
"It's my assessment that I don't think we're going to have a breakthrough here until the President (Trump) and President Putin interact directly on this topic," Rubio said, echoing earlier comments from U.S. President Donald Trump.
