Zelenskyy Slams Putin for Skipping Turkey Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for not attending the Istanbul talks with Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that Russia sent a u201cdecorativeu201d delegation to the talks, implying that Moscow is not serious about finding a resolution to the conflict.

Rubio Downplays Expectations

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Zelenskyyu2019s sentiment, stating that he doesnu2019t expect a breakthrough in the negotiations.

u201cI want to be frank. I donu2019t think we donu2019t have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow,u201d Rubio told reporters following NATO talks in Antalya, Turkey, according to AFP news agency.

He added that he believes direct talks between President Joe Biden and Putin are needed to make real progress.

u201cItu2019s my assessment that I donu2019t think weu2019re going to have a breakthrough here until the President (Biden) and President Putin interact directly on this topic,u201d Rubio said, as reported by Reuters.