Marco Rubio arrived in Istanbul — the purpose of the visit

On Friday, May 16, the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Istanbul. The US official will not take part in the planned talks between Russia and Ukraine, which will be mediated by Turkey. However, separate consultations are expected between the United States and representatives of the Ukrainian, Turkish, and Russian sides.

France24 reported it.

Everything we know about Marco Rubio's meeting with the other delegations

According to the sources, the first meetings will begin at 07:45 GMT (10:45 Kyiv time), and the main trilateral meeting between the delegations of Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia is to take place at Dolmabahçe Palace at 12:30 Kyiv time.

Earlier, the media reported that a separate trilateral meeting with the delegations of the United States, Ukraine, and Turkey would take place at the palace before the talks.

Marco Rubio confirmed that he would not participate in the talks between Kyiv and Moscow, explaining that Russia had sent a "lower-level" delegation to Istanbul, which Washington believes does not have sufficient authority to conduct a meaningful dialogue to end the war.

As a reminder, earlier, on May 13, Marco Rubio had a telephone conversation with the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Europe. The parties discussed the situation in Ukraine, or rather, the path to peace. 

Meanwhile, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War analysed Russia's demands on Ukraine and explained why negotiations to end the war are currently fruitless.