US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Wednesday night arrived in Antalya as the Turkish coastal city is hosting the NATO Foreign Ministers’ informal gathering bringing together top diplomats from all 32 member states, Kyiv Post’s correspondent who is traveling with Rubio reports.
The foreign ministers will primarily focus on preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague in June, but the Alliance’s support for Ukraine also remains top of the agenda, among other key challenges.
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Rubio’s first meeting in Antalya Wednesday night was with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, during which they focused on coordinating their positions ahead of critical Istanbul talks.
“We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches,” Sybiha said in a social media post after meeting with Rubio.
According to him, the meeting was also attended by US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close ally of President Donald Trump, who is also currently in Antalya and is expected to brief European diplomats on his recent actions to push through Congress sanctions designed to devastate the Russian economy if Vladimir Putin does not show a willingness to negotiate with Ukraine in good faith.
Sybiha noted that he shared with Rubio and Graham President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “vision of further peace efforts and coordinated positions during this critical week.”
Turkish FM Says Concerned by Ukraine War Escalation
“We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches. I reaffirmed Ukraine’s strong and consistent commitment to President Trump’s peace efforts and thanked the United States for its involvement,” he wrote.
He went on to conclude, “We are ready to advance our cooperation in a constructive and mutually beneficial manner. It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine’s constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost”
On Thursday, NATO’s top diplomats will gather at Antalya’s NEST Convention Center to discuss their coordinated efforts in support of Ukraine.
The meeting will feature NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Secretary Rubio.
The ministers will also focus on boosting defense investment as the Alliance is sketching out plan to meet US President Donald Trump’s call for five percent of GDP on defense.
Following his meetings in Antalya, Rubio is expected to visit Istanbul to attend highly anticipated Ukraine-Russia talks.
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