U.S. representatives will participate in the Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul on May 16, State Secretary Marco Rubio confirmed at the May 15 press briefing in Turkey.
He will not personally attend the talks, but will meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Earlier that day, Rubio said he had “not high hopes” for the negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials.
“In my estimation, I don’t think we’ll see a breakthrough until President [Donald] Trump and [Russian dictator Vladimir] Putin speak directly on the issue,” he said, echoing Trump’s earlier comments.