• Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia collapsed after key leaders, including Putin and Trump, failed to attend, leaving Secretary of State Rubio declaring negotiations futile without their direct involvement.
• The high-stakes diplomatic effort, initially proposed by Putin and backed by Trump, was postponed amid confusion, with Zelensky arriving in Turkey only to find Putin absent.
• Rubio stated that only a direct Trump-Putin meeting could lead to a breakthrough, dismissing current talks as unproductive without their participation.
• Putin’s no-show was blamed on a scheduling miscommunication by Trump, who insisted real negotiations could only happen between the two of them, hinting at a future meeting.
• With the Istanbul talks stalled, attention shifts to a potential Trump-Putin summit as the war continues, leaving global leaders questioning if diplomacy can still bring peace.

The latest attempt at peace talks between Ukraine and Russia collapsed into chaos this week as key leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, failed to show up in Turkey, leaving Secretary of State Marco Rubio declaring the negotiations futile without their direct involvement.

The high-stakes diplomatic effort, initially proposed by Putin and backed by Trump, was meant to bring an end to Europe’s bloodiest conflict in decades. But with both leaders absent, Rubio warned that no real progress would be made until Trump and Putin meet face-to-face.

Peace talks descend into disarray

The talks, originally scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul, were abruptly postponed to Friday after confusion over attendance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Turkey, only to learn that Putin would not be present. Reports indicated frustration among delegations as mediators scrambled to salvage the meeting.

Rubio, speaking to reporters, did not mince words: “Frankly, at this point, I think it’s abundantly clear that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin.” He added, “I don’t think anything productive is actually going to happen from this point forward… until they engage in a very frank and direct conversation.”

The peace initiative began last week when Putin called for direct negotiations, which Zelensky agreed to—but only if they included the leaders of both nations. Trump initially suggested he might attend if progress was made, but by Thursday, it was clear neither he nor Putin would be there.

Putin’s no-show and Trump’s response

The Kremlin confirmed Putin would skip the talks, a move Trump attributed to a scheduling miscommunication. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there.” The president emphasized that real negotiations could only happen between the two of them: “I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together.”

Trump also revealed plans to meet Putin soon, stating, “We’re going to get it done. 5,000 young people are being killed every single week on average, and we’re going to get it done.” He dismissed Zelensky’s withdrawal from the talks, saying, “He didn’t show up because he heard Putin wasn’t going.”

Zelensky, who met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, blasted Putin’s absence as proof of Moscow’s unserious approach. “No time of the meeting, no agenda, no high-level of delegation—this is personal disrespect to Erdo?an, to Trump,” he said. Ukraine sent Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to lead its delegation, while Russia’s team was headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, a figure Kyiv views as insufficiently authoritative.

Medinsky insisted Russia was ready to negotiate but framed the talks as a continuation of failed 2022 discussions, where Moscow demanded Ukraine abandon NATO aspirations—a nonstarter for Kyiv. Meanwhile, European leaders condemned Putin’s absence, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announcing new sanctions.

What comes next?

With the Istanbul talks unlikely to yield major breakthroughs, all eyes are now on a potential Trump-Putin summit. Rubio reiterated that only direct engagement between the two could end the war, praising Trump as a “lover of peace” committed to stopping bloodshed.

For now, the conflict rages on, with Russia claiming more territory in eastern Ukraine. As diplomatic efforts falter, the world waits to see if Trump and Putin can finally sit down and whether their meeting will bring the peace that has so far remained out of reach.

Sources for this article include:

FoxNews.com

BBC.com

NYPost.com

CNN.com