President Trump Delegates Secretary of State for Peace Talks

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – On Tuesday, President Trump announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will represent him at the upcoming Russian-Ukraine peace talks set to take place in Istanbul on Thursday.

During a speech in front of Saudi leaders and businesspeople on the first leg of their three-country Middle Eastern tour, Trump revealed that top diplomats from the U.S. would be heading to Turkey.

“Consultations are being held in Turkey later this week. Maybe on Thursday, they can produce pretty good results. Our people are going there. Marco is going there,” Trump stated.

The president did not indicate any plans for his own attendance at the conference, which would pose significant challenges given the tight timeframe for security and logistics preparations.

On Monday, Trump mentioned to White House reporters, “I’d fly there if I thought it would help,” though no arrangements appeared to be made for a potential trip to Turkey that day.

Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky has agreed to participate in the discussions after being urged by Trump to take part.

Trump emphasized the importance of achieving peace, saying, “The young beautiful souls who left their parents said goodbye to their brothers and sisters. ‘Goodbye, see you soon’ and they fell apart.”