President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he is sending Secretary of State Marco Rubio to attend peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey later this week.
Speaking from Saudi Arabia, Trump said Rubio would be going to the talks and suggested other administration officials would be present as well.
“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.
On Sunday, Rubio had a call with Turkey’s foreign minister and thanked Turkey for agreeing to host the upcoming talks between Russia and Ukraine.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan today. The Secretary thanked Türkiye for hosting and facilitating Russian and Ukraine direct negotiations and welcomed the possibility of an immediate ceasefire,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a readout of the call.
Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security adviser, acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and acting U.S. archivist, joined Trump on his trip to the Middle East this week.
Trump signed several new agreements with Saudi Arabia Tuesday, including multiple agreements on military cooperation, and delivered a speech laying out his vision for the Middle East moving forward. In the remarks, Trump announced he will be lifting sanctions on Syria due to the fall of the Assad regime and he will be looking to restore U.S.-Syria relations with the new government.
Earlier this week, Trump left open the possibility of going to the talks on short notice, despite the logistical challenges his visit would present. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky personally invited Trump to attend the scheduled talks in Turkey on Thursday after Trump pressed leaders from Russia and Ukraine to meet face-to-face.
Zelensky and several European nations met over the weekend to discuss a potential 30-day cease-fire plan to facilitate further peace negotiations. They spoke to Trump on the phone about the plan and urged Russia to accept the proposal beginning Monday. The Russians declined the cease-fire offer and continued striking Ukraine ahead of the high-stakes diplomacy in Turkey.
Trump demanded last week that Russia and Ukraine come to terms on a lasting ceasefire deal and threatened sanctions for those who violate its terms. The president has made ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza a top foreign policy priority of his administration, and often claims the conflict in Ukraine would not have happened if he were in office when it started.
Russia’s war in Ukraine began over three years ago when strongman Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of his neighbor with the intention of annexing it. The Russians maintain control of a considerable portion of Ukraine’s territory as the war of attrition between the two sides continues.