ISTANBUL Meeting of US, Turkish and Ukrainian delegations begins, Rubio also arrives

(Patria) - A trilateral meeting between delegations of the United States of America, Ukraine and Turkey has begun at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul.

Alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg.

The Ukrainian delegation is led by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Andriy Yermak.

The host of the meeting, which is taking place in the central hall of the palace, is Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Spokesperson for the US State Department, Tammy Bruce, stated that Michael Anton, Director of Policy Planning at the US State Department, will represent the United States in talks with the Russian delegation.

US President Donald Trump also commented again on the peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

"It's time to just get it done. We'll finish it," Trump said.

He added that he wants to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as possible - as soon as they can arrange it.

Trump reiterated today that he is not surprised that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the meeting that the United States tried to organize in Turkey between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations.

"Putin didn't want to come because I'm not there," Trump claimed, who stated yesterday that significant progress in negotiations is unlikely until he and Putin meet in person.

Incidentally, the meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations was expected yesterday, but was postponed to today. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Ankara yesterday and held a three-hour meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.