The key facts

  • The Fidan-Rubio meeting took place on October 30 on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' summit in Atlanta
  • They discussed US-Iran talks, Gaza, the Ukrainian conflict, and bilateral relations
  • The ministers' summit runs October 30–31, and the G20 leaders' summit is scheduled for December 14–15 in Miami

Meeting on the sidelines of the G20 in Atlanta

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a meeting on Friday, October 30, on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' summit taking place in Atlanta, USA. The talks were reported by sources in Turkey's foreign ministry, cited by both the Turkish news agency Anadoluand Russian media, citing the Turkish side.

What the parties discussed

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Fidan and Rubio discussed bilateral relations between Ankara and Washington, as well as the negotiation process between the US and Iran, the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and other regional issues. Both the list of topics and their wording match in the statements of both sides, which points to a common primary source — sources in Turkey's foreign ministry.

Summit context and upcoming visits

The G20 foreign ministers' summit is being held in Atlanta on October 30–31; the ministers' meeting precedes the G20 leaders' summit, scheduled for December 14–15 in Miami. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, a decision on President Vladimir Putin's personal participation in the summits has not yet been made.

The Ukrainian track

The meeting took place after a recent phone call between the presidents of Turkey and the US, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump, during which Erdogan emphasized Turkey's readiness to help restart the diplomatic process between Ukraine and Russia and to end the war through that process. In addition, on Saturday, October 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to arrive in Turkey on a working visit at Erdogan's invitation.