UNITED STATES, Ukrainian and European officials meet in London on Wednesday about ending Russia's war in Ukraine after warnings by U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington could walk away if there is no progress on a deal soon.
Reuters reported today that Trump's Ukraine envoy General Keith Kellogg will participate in the talks. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio will no longer join the London discussion, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday, hours after confirming on Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" that the top U.S. diplomat would attend.
It was unclear if Rubio's absence meant the United States had downgraded its expectations for the talks after Trump said on Sunday he hoped Moscow and Kyiv would make a deal this week to end the three-year-old conflict.
But few diplomats considered that it’s realistic given the significant gaps remaining. The expectations for a breakthrough were slim, despite pressure from Trump to make this a decisive moment.
"The ball is in Russia's court … We clearly support President Trump's attempts to bring peace (and) Ukraine's calls for Russia to commit a full ceasefire," a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff will not be part of the London talks. But, on Washington's parallel track of diplomacy with Moscow, he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in Russia, the White House said.
The London meeting is a follow-up to a similar session in Paris last week where U.S., Ukrainian and European officials discussed ways to achieve peace.
The objective last week was for the Americans, Europeans and Ukrainians to formulate a joint position by trying to move Washington closer to the European and Ukrainian position, European diplomats said.
But some of Washington's proposals were unacceptable to European countries and Kyiv, multiple sources said, leaving the sides divided.
Rubio last week said a U.S. framework that he and Witkoff proposed in Paris received an encouraging reception. But the sources said that among the U.S. proposals was recognizing Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, a move that is a non-starter for Europe and Ukraine.
Beyond Crimea, other major sticking points remain, including Russia's push for lifting of European Union sanctions against it before negotiations are finished, which Europe staunchly opposes, diplomats said.
European powers last week detailed to the United States what they view as the non-negotiable aspects of a potential Ukraine-Russia peace accord, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday, downplaying chances for a deal this week.
"The hope is that in London they come up with some form of agreement whereby they can start a serious negotiating process. At the end of the day, Ukraine will have to leave something on the table," one European diplomat said.
The U.S. proposed last week to establish a neutral zone at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine, according to European diplomats. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday said he would be ready to partner with the United States to restore the plant, which is not operating. - April 23, 2025
