US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would participate in talks on the Ukraine war this week in Turkey as he voiced optimism.
“Talks are being held in Turkey later this week, probably on Thursday and they could be some pretty good results,” Trump said in a speech in Riyadh, adding: “Marco is going to be going there.”
“The West should not be dragging itself backward into another endless war in Europe,” Trump said.
A State Department official said that Rubio was expected on Friday in İstanbul.
He will hold talks on Thursday in the Turkish resort city of Antalya for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dared Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to meet him in Turkey, saying that if he does not show up it should show that Moscow is not interested in peace.
Zelensky said he would meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Wednesday or Thursday.
Trump said Rubio would also hold talks in Turkey with Syria’s foreign minister.
Trump announced the lifting of sanctions on the war-torn country that have remained in place since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad in December.
© Agence France-Presse