“HIS WAR”
Zelenskyy has urged Putin to come himself, saying that skipping the talks would signal an unwillingness by Moscow to seek peace.
“This is his war,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday. “Therefore, the negotiations should be with him.”
Trump took office vowing to end the Ukraine war immediately and had put heavy pressure on Zelenskyy, whom he berated during a disastrous White House meeting on Feb 28.
Since then the Trump administration has voiced frustration with Russia, which has snubbed an offer backed by Ukraine for an initial 30-day ceasefire.
Rubio has repeatedly threatened to give up on Russia-Ukraine diplomacy without progress, saying the United States has other priorities.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who in the past criticised the level of Western support for Ukraine, said he would also seek to persuade Putin to negotiate.
“I’ll try to talk to Putin,” Lula told reporters in Beijing ahead of departure to Moscow.
“It costs me nothing to say, ‘hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate’,”
Since the tense White House meeting, Ukraine has sought to repair the relationship with Trump including by backing his diplomatic initiatives.
Ukraine sealed an agreement with the Trump administration for joint development of minerals that it hopes will commit the United States in the longer term to the country.
Trump has scoffed at the billions of dollars in weapons sent to Ukraine under his predecessor Joe Biden as he tries to reduce US commitments around the world.
His return to the White House has sent European nations scrambling to step up their own support for Ukraine.
