According to a New York Post report, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey this week.
Trump initially suggested he might go himself.
Trump announced Rubio would make the trip during a speech to Saudi leaders and businessmen on the first day of his three-country tour of the Middle East.
“Talks are being held in Turkey later this week — probably on Thursday, and they could produce some pretty good results. Our people are going to be going there, Marco is going to be going there, others are going to be going, and we’ll see if we can get it done,” Trump said.
President Trump says Secretary Rubio will travel to Istanbul for potential Thursday talks between Russia and Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/yiLwJdb26h
— NTD News (@NTDNews) May 13, 2025
From The New York Post:
The president gave no further indication that he too would join the meeting — a prospect that would be extremely challenging due to the short window of time available for security and logistical planning.
On Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House that “I would fly there if I thought it would be helpful,” but there were no indications late Tuesday that preparations were being made for a side trip to Turkey.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to attend the talks after Trump pressured him to do so — though it’s unclear if Russian President Vladimir Putin would attend, as Trump predicted would happen.
Trump said Tuesday that he wanted to achieve peace because of the toll of the conflict on “young, beautiful souls that left their parents, waving goodbye to their brothers and sisters. ‘Goodbye. I’ll see you soon’, and they got blown to pieces.”
Trump sends Marco Rubio to Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey — after floating going himself https://t.co/26sUCh59FF pic.twitter.com/gOfRQvd5xU
— New York Post (@nypost) May 13, 2025
