Lavrov, Rubio discuss results of Istanbul peace talks, Russian media reports

Lavrov, Rubio discuss results of Istanbul peace talks, Russian media reports

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call allegedly at the initiative of the American side to discuss the future of bilateral contacts between Moscow and Washington and recent Istanbul peace talks, Russian state-controlled media reported on May 17.

Lavrov reportedly welcomed what he described as a “constructive” role by Washington in encouraging Kyiv to accept President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to resume peace talks in Istanbul.

The foreign ministry said Rubio reportedly, in turn, praised the agreement on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner-of-war exchange and noted both sides' efforts to outline conditions for a potential ceasefire.

The call came a day after Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul on May 16, speaking for less than two hours without reaching a breakthrough.

Ukraine had proposed an immediate ceasefire, an all-for-all POW exchange, and a face-to-face meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, Moscow’s delegation demanded Kyiv withdraw from four partially occupied Ukrainian oblasts Russia illegally claims as its own — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

Before the Istanbul peace talks, Rubio said he didn’t expect negotiations to yield meaningful progress, calling the low-level Russian delegation “not indicative of one that’s going to lead to a major breakthrough."

“I hope I’m wrong. I hope I’m 100% wrong. I hope tomorrow the news says they’ve agreed to a ceasefire, they’ve agreed to enter serious negotiations,” Rubio told reporters during a briefing in Ankara.

5 lies Europe tells itself about Russia’s criminal war
Editor’s note: This opinion first appeared in German in Süddeutsche Zeitung. Russia’s President — a wanted war criminal — Vladimir Putin failed to show up in Istanbul for the “direct talks” with Ukraine that he himself proposed. For the Kremlin to wage an unprovoked war of conquest, reject a ceasefire, and
Lavrov, Rubio discuss results of Istanbul peace talks, Russian media reportsThe Kyiv IndependentAndrew Chakhoyan
Lavrov, Rubio discuss results of Istanbul peace talks, Russian media reports