US Secy of State skips key London meet, Ukraine peace talks come to standstill
US, Ukrainian and European officials held “substantive” meetings on Wednesday to try to get peace talks back on track after the cancellation of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip raised questions over how much progress was being made.
Rubio’s no show to the London talks prompted a broader meeting with foreign ministers from Ukraine, Britain, France and Germany to be cancelled, underscoring the gaps in positions between Washington, and Kyiv and its European allies over how to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The downgrading of the talks comes at a critical time, days after US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could walk away if there was no progress on a deal soon. Trump raised the pressure on Sunday when he said he hoped Moscow and Kyiv would make a deal this week to end the three-year conflict.
At the heart of Wednesday’s talks was an attempt to establish what Kyiv can possibly accept after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff presented proposals to a similar session in Paris last week. Three diplomats said those proposals appeared to demand more concessions from Ukraine than Russia.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer played down any disappointment over Rubio’s abrupt cancellation and said the talks involved “substantive technical meetings with European, US and Ukrainian officials on how to stop the fighting”.
Witkoff’s proposals, which several sources said included recognising Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Washington beginning to lift sanctions on Russia and ruling out Ukraine’s NATO membership, were unacceptable to Ukraine and other European nations.
Say yes or we walk away: Vance
US Vice-President JD Vance said during a visit to India he was “optimistic” that “the Europeans, the Russians and the Ukrainians are ultimately able to get this thing over the finish line”. But he also threw down the gauntlet.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process.” “That means the Ukrainians and the Russians are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own. There’s going to have to be some territorial swaps.”
A source close to the discussions said the downgrading of the trip came after Ukraine drafted a paper for the Europeans on Tuesday, in which it said there would be no discussions on territorial issues until “a full and unconditional ceasefire”.
The source said the apparent US nervousness could indicate that the Ukrainian position did not align with what Washington’s representatives had agreed so far with the Russians. Some of Witkoff’s proposals, which Rubio said had received an encouraging reception in Paris, have been rejected by Kyiv.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Kyiv would not recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Russia annexed in 2014.
“Ukraine is ready to negotiate — but not to surrender,” Svyrydenko wrote on X. “A full ceasefire — on land, in the air, and at sea — is the necessary first step.”
On Washington’s parallel track of diplomacy, Witkoff will meet with Putin this week in Russia.
US wants Kyiv to accept ‘new reality’
Among the US proposals was recognising Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea — a move that was a non-starter for Europe and Ukraine — as well as accepting the reality of Russia’s control of the remaining 20% of Ukraine’s territory. In addition, NATO membership for Ukraine would be ruled out and the US would begin to lift sanctions on Russia. Russia also want lifting of EU sanctions.
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