Closing summary
It’s 9.15pm in Moscow and Kyiv. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
US vice-president JD Vance urged Ukraine and Russia to accept a US-led peace proposal, threatening that Washington would “walk away” if it was not accepted. The US proposal would mean “we’re going to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,” Vance said during a trip to India on Wednesday.
US president Donald Trump lashed out at Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the Ukrainian leader rejected ceding Crimea to Russia as part of a potential peace plan. Trump, in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, said Zelenskyy is prolonging the “killing field” and making statements that are “very harmful” to the peace negotiations. Crimea was lost years ago “and is not even a point of discussion,” the US president said.
Zelenskyy said on Tuesday his country could not accept recognising Crimea as Russian territory. “There is nothing new to mention or discuss. Ukraine will not recognise the occupation of Crimea,” he had said, adding that it would be incompatible with Ukraine’s constitution. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy countered with his own peace proposal.
Ministerial-level Ukraine peace talks that were due to take place in London on Wednesday were postponed at the last minute after the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said he could not attend. UK foreign secretary David Lammy said his discussions with Rubio were productive. The late downgrade came amid speculation that Russia is willing to change its position in separate bilateral peace discussions.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, the foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, and the defence minister, Rustem Umerov instead met with the US envoy, Keith Kellogg, in London. The Ukrainian delegation described the talks as “productive” and “constructive”.
The Kremlin said Russia is engaged in direct talks with the US over the Ukraine war, but that there are no ongoing discussions with Europe or with Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed media reports of what might be in any US-Russian peace proposal, and said there was still a lot to be worked out.
Nine people were reportedly killed on Wednesday morning when a Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets – one of 134 large drones that Ukrainian authorities reported had attacked the country overnight.
Russia has imposed sanctions on 15 UK MPs and six members of the House of Lords, banning them from the country over what it called “hostile statements and unfounded accusations” about Moscow.
Ukraine says it held 'productive' talks with US envoy in London
Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov said the Ukrainian delegation held “productive” talks with the US envoy, Keith Kellogg, in London on Wednesday.
Umerov, in televised comments, said:
We talked about our consistent position regarding a ceasefire, also about security guarantees. For my part, I believe the meeting was very productive and successful.
Separately, Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said that during his meeting with Kellog a “constructive exchange of views on the path to peace” took place. He added:
Ukraine wants the war to end more than anyone else in the world. We are committed to working together to achieve this goal.
Our delegation including @AndriyYermak and @rustem_umerov had a day of active diplomatic work in London.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) April 23, 2025
We had three important meetings: a bilateral meeting between Ukrainian and British foreign and defense ministers @DavidLammy @JohnHealey_MP, a multilateral meeting with… pic.twitter.com/Ea9RUGLJgo
US vice-president JD Vance has called on Ukraine and Russia to accept a US-led peace proposal, threatening that Washington would “walk away” if it was not accepted.
Vance, on a trip to India on Wednesday, said there would have to be “some territorial swaps” to reach a deal. He said:
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.
The only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, to freeze this thing and to get on with the business of actually building a better Russia and a better Ukraine.
Here’s the clip:
Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of making “inflammatory” statements that are “very harmful” to the peace negotiations with Russia.
Trump wrote:
Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?
The US president described the situation in Ukraine as being “dire”, and said Zelenskyy “can have peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country.”
“He has nothing to boast about!” Trump added.
The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that!
Donald Trump’s latest attack on Volodymyr Zelenskyy comes a day after the Ukrainian leader ruled out recognising Crimea as Russian territory as part of a potential peace plan.
Zelenskyy, during a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday, said Ukraine will not legally recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea under any circumstances. He told reporters:
There is nothing new to mention or discuss. Ukraine will not recognise the occupation of Crimea.
His remarks came amid speculation that Moscow had told Washington it might be willing to drop its claim to parts of Ukraine it does not occupy, in return for the US recognising the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Zelenskyy said no such proposal had been shared with him by the White House and that his country could not endorse it.
He also warned that any discussion of Crimea risked shifting negotiations into a framework dictated by the Kremlin, and played directly into Vladimir Putin’s game.
As soon as talks about Crimea and our sovereign territories begin, the talks enter the format that Russia wants — prolonging the war – because it will not be possible to agree on everything quickly.
Russia imposes sanctions on 15 MPs and six members of the House of Lords, banning them from the country over what it called “hostile statements and unfounded accusations” about Moscow.
The Russian foreign affairs ministry published a statement on Wednesday accusing the UK of “fabricating anti-Russian narratives” and attempting to “demonise” the country.
The ministry announced sanctions against 21 British politicians from across the political spectrum, targeting parliamentarians who have called for frozen Russian assets to be seized and used to fund Ukraine’s war effort.
Those sanctioned include Labour MPs Phil Brickell, Jeevun Sandher, Johanna Baxter and Blair McDougall, and the Liberal Democrats’ Alistair Carmichael, Chris Coghlan, Helen Maguire and James MacCleary.
Stephen Gethins of the Scottish National party and Jim Shannon of the Democratic Unionist party were also on the list.
Trump accuses Zelenskyy of harming peace process with Crimea stance and says Ukraine president has ‘no cards to play’
US president Donald Trump chided Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday for saying Ukraine would not recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea, which he called an inflammatory statement that will make a peace deal with Russia harder to achieve.
“This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
He said Crimea was lost years ago “and is not even a point of discussion.”
“We are very close to a Deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,” Trump added. “I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this Complete and Total MESS, that would have never started if I were President!”
Updated
A planned meeting Wednesday between top US, British, French and Ukrainian diplomats to push forward a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine was scrapped at the last minute, with US vice-president JD Vance saying negotiations are reaching a moment of truth.
“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,” Vance told reporters during a visit to Agra, India.
He said it was “a very fair proposal” that would “freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,” with both sides having to give up some territory they currently hold. He did not provide further details of the proposal, AP reported.
Updated
Ukraine said Wednesday that it was “committed” to Washington-led efforts to end the war with Russia after US vice-president JD Vance threatened to abandon negotiations if a deal was not reached soon.
“We emphasised that we are committed to the peace efforts of US president Donald Trump,” Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak said after talks in London with representatives of Kyiv’s allies, adding: “We are grateful to our partners for their firm support and common desire to end the war as soon as possible.”
Russia on Wednesday added 21 British parliamentarians to its list of UK nationals banned from entering the country, reflecting the dire state of relations with London.
Moscow maintains extensive lists of foreign officials, business figures, journalists and others who are barred from entering Russian territory, mostly from countries officially designated as “unfriendly”.
In a statement, Russia’s foreign ministry said that the designated lawmakers had made “hostile statements and unfounded accusations” against Moscow.
They include six members of the House of Lords, along with 15 members of parliament from the governing Labour party, the centrist Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party and the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist party.
Members of the French Foreign Legion and British soldiers have started a joint military exercise in northeastern France, applying urban warfare lessons from the conflict in Ukraine, an AFP reporter said.
Here is an extract from the report:
A French officer, perched on a British armoured vehicle camouflaged with branches in the small town of Jeoffrecourt, translated commands for armoured infantry troops from Britain.
The FFL and the Royal Welsh First Battalion were part of a team trying to capture this town of 5,000 residents Tuesday during a two-week training exercise.
The exercises come as French president Emmanuel Macron and British prime minister Keir Starmer are spearheading European efforts to send what they call a “reassurance force” to Ukraine after any end to the war sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion.
“We look at what is happening in theatres of operation and new modes of action to integrate them,” said Lt Col Romain, an FFL training officer who gave only his first name under French military policy.
A member of his 13th Demi-Brigade toggled a joystick from a basement where a video feed showed footage from the drone he controlled as it flew above the streets.
With just four radios, four laptops and a white sheet serving as a makeshift projection screen, the setup was spartan but for good reason, said the brigade’s commanding officer, Col Benjamin Brunet.
“We drill to change position every six hours,” Brunet said, a lesson gleaned from Ukraine, where adversaries quickly spot the electromagnetic radiation emitted from command posts to destroy them.
For Capt Ed, a British intelligence officer who also could give only his first name, France and Britain have a proven track record of working together because they “share a similar mindset and values”.
“Since 2018, the French and British have been together in Estonia” as part of a mission set up by Nato on its eastern flank, the captain said.
“We are training and we are ready to go anywhere in the world,” he said.
Updated
A top Dutch court said Wednesday that the government could stop its support for foreigners living in Ukraine who fled after Russia’s invasion, paving the way for their deportation, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In its ruling, the Council of State (RvS), the country’s highest administrative court, said the government’s plan to end temporary asylum for the group of about 1,700 people could be implemented.
Many of the refugees hailed from places including Algeria, Turkey and Pakistan and were working or studying in Ukraine at the time of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, reports AFP.
Rights and refugee advocates have criticised the move to expel “third country nationals”. But the court “ruled today that the temporary protection for third-country nationals in Ukraine can end”, the Hague-based court said in a statement.
Government support for this group “can end earlier than for other Ukrainians, stateless persons and third country nationals with a permanent Ukrainian residency permit,” who are still temporarily being sheltered in the Netherlands, the statement said.
The ruling came after previous Dutch government plans to halt the protection for non-Ukrainian nationals ran into legal obstacles including several lawsuits.
The RvS had already ruled in January 2024 that temporary asylum for the group could end on 4 March 2024, before referring the matter to the European court of justice (ECJ) for a legal opinion.
In December, the ECJ confirmed that EU countries could end temporary residency for third-country nationals before other Ukrainian citizens, those with permanent residency status and stateless persons.
“The reason for this is because EU member countries are not obligated to protect this group, although they may choose do so,” said Pieter-Bas Beekman, an RvS spokesperson.
“The Council of State today confirms the decision by the European court of justice, which means that from 4 March last year, protection for third-country residents have ended in the Netherlands,” he said.
There are about 118,000 registered Ukrainian refugees in total in the Netherlands, according to the latest government figures.
Lithuania’s capital Vilnius presented on Wednesday an evacuation plan in case of war, as the Baltic nation worries Russia could target the former Soviet republic next after its invasion of Ukraine, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Lithuania, a Nato and EU member, has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since Moscow’s 2022 invasion, and has since ramped up defence spending and training.
Emergency services have put out a fire at a car park in a shopping mall located in Moscow’s business district, the state Tass news agency reported on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Videos posted by various Russian media outlets showed black smoke billowing among the district’s skyscrapers on the banks of the Moskva River.
The cause of the explosion and whether anyone was in the vehicle at the time was unclear, reports Reuters.
Europe requires Ukraine’s 'territorial integrity' in any peace deal, says French presidency
European countries think any peace deal to end the Ukraine war with Russia has to include the pro-EU nation’s “territorial integrity”, France’s presidency said on Wednesday.
“Ukraine’s territorial integrity and European aspirations are very strong requirements for Europeans,” president Emmanuel Macron’s office told Agence France-Presse (AFP), after US vice-president JD Vance suggested both sides would have to “give up some of the territory they currently own”.
Poland’s foreign minister on Wednesday used an annual address to parliament to send a sharp message to Russian leaders as war continues in neighbouring Ukraine, asking: “Don’t you have enough land?”
Foreign Minster Radek Sikorski described the difficult situation Poland faces with the war across the border and the threat of its expansion, and voiced concerns about the “disintegration” of western unity, AP reported.
Poland, on Nato’s eastern flank, is one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters, and Sikorski used his speech to strongly criticise Russia.
He said, addressing Russian leaders: “Don’t you have enough land? Eleven time zones and still not enough? Take care of better governing what is within your borders according to international law.”
Sikorski described the deteriorating security situation with a war next to Poland’s border: “Anxiety, and the question of what will happen, have settled in Polish homes. Are we also at risk of Russian aggression? Are the relations between Europe and the United States heading towards a crisis? Can Europe quickly improve its defense capabilities?”
Poland and European allies are trying to strengthen their defenses, fearing that Russian aggression won’t stop in Ukraine, while the Trump administration signals that Europe must take up more security responsibilities.
The UK remains “absolutely committed” to securing a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine” Downing Street has said, after US secretary of state Marco Rubio pulled out of talks in London on Wednesday.
Asked if Keir Starmer was disappointed at the decision, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “Today there will be substantive technical meetings with European, US and Ukrainian officials on how to stop the fighting and end Putin’s illegal invasion.”
The spokesperson said that foreign secretary David Lammy had “a productive call with Rubio yesterday, who confirmed that the US was looking forward to substantive and positive technical meetings in London today”.
“As you know, we remain absolutely committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and these talks today are an important part of that,” he said.
Russia launches attacks across Ukraine before postponed London peace talks.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Ukraine insists on an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire with Moscow.
Writing on Telegram, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has repeatedly said that it does not rule out any format of talks that can lead to a ceasefire.
Ukraine is ready to negotiate but not to surrender, deputy PM says
Ukraine is ready to negotiate but not to surrender, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday as details emerged in media reports of a US proposal for a deal which would see Ukraine give up almost all territory currently occupied by Russia.
“There will be no agreement that hands Russia the stronger foundations it needs to regroup and return with greater violence,” Svyrydenko wrote on X.
“A full ceasefire – on land, in the air, and at sea – is the necessary first step,” she said, adding that if Moscow instead opted for a limited pause, Kyiv would respond in kind.
Agree a peace deal or US will walk away, Vance tells Ukraine and Russia
US vice-president JD Vance warned Wednesday that Moscow and Kyiv must strike a deal or Washington will end its efforts to reach a ceasefire.
“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,” Vance told reporters in India, where he is on a four-day visit.
Vance spoke as envoys from Washington, Kyiv and European nations gathered for talks in Britain amid a new US push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“It’s now time, I think, to take, if not the final step, one of the final steps, which is, at a broad level, the party saying we’re going to stop the killing, we’re going to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,” Vance added.
“Now, of course, that means the Ukrainians and the Russians are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own,” he added.
Updated
Ministerial-level Ukraine peace talks that were due to take place in London on Wednesday have been postponed at the last minute amid speculation that Russia is willing to change its position and after the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said he could not attend.
The UK Foreign Office indicated that ministerial-level meetings would be replaced by discussions at an official level – though initial public comments from the Kremlin suggested Moscow still opposed Nato countries sending peacekeepers to Ukraine.
Posting on social media just before midnight, Lammy said his discussions with Rubio were productive but hinted that they would take place at a lower level. “Talks continue at pace and officials will meet in London tomorrow. This is a critical moment for Ukraine, Britain and Euro-Atlantic security,” he said.
Ukraine, nevertheless, brought along a senior delegation led by Andriy Yermak, Voldoymyr Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff, plus the foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, and defence minister, Rustem Umerov. “Despite everything, we will work for peace,” Yermak said.
Earlier Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha posted an image to social media ahead of the scaled-down meetings in London, which were postponed after US secretary of state Marco Rubio declined to attend.
Sybiha, alongside Ukraine’s foreign minister Rustem Umerov and the Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, met with UK foreign secretary David Lammy and UK defence secretary John Healey.
Arrived in London together with @AndriyYermak and @rustem_umerov for a day of meetings with our partners as we work to achieve a fair and lasting peace for Ukraine and all of Europe.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) April 23, 2025
Our first meeting in London is between ministers of foreign affairs and defence together with… pic.twitter.com/HW6VaSb8L3
Russia’s armed forces still lack certain weapons despite significantly increasing arms production last year, president Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the state Military-Industrial Commission on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Tass reports that Putin said the supply of weapons to the area of the special military operation – Russia’s preferred term for its invasion of Ukraine – was a top priority.
He said that the army of the Russian Federation needed to remain one step ahead, and Tass reports he ordered the acceleration of production of robotic systems, unmanned boats and combat lasers.
The Russian defence ministry has claimed to have destroyed a Ukrainian drone over Tatarstan, a region to the east of Moscow, some considerable distance from the main conflict zone.
Kremlin: talks continue with US, but no direct discussions with Ukraine or Europe
The Kremlin has said that Russia is engaged in direct talks with the US over the Ukraine war, but that there are no ongoing discussions with Europe or with Ukraine.
In his daily media briefing, Tass reports Dmitry Peskov also dismissed media reports of what might be in any US-Russian peace proposal, saying that there is a lot of fake news around.
He said there was still a lot to be worked out on any potential settlement, and that Russia remains opposed to the deployment of any European force inside Ukraine.
Peskov added that the situation was quite fluid, but cautioned that negotiations should take place in silence rather than in the media.
Asked specifically about US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff visiting Moscow, Peskov declined to comment. However, he did say Russia welcomed efforts by the US to mediate the conflict.
Russia staged its latest invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, having seized Crimea in 2014.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed on Wednesday its forces had gained control over the village of Tarasivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The claim has not been verified.
The FT on Tuesday reported that the Kremlin would soften its demands in direct discussions with the US, and would accept a freezing of the conflict on the frontline if the US agreed that Crimea, seized by Moscow in 2014, belonged to Russia.
A source familiar with Moscow’s thinking confirmed to the Guardian that Vladimir Putin has offered to freeze the conflict in Ukraine along the current frontlines during recent talks with Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s envoy.
However, the source cautioned that it remains unclear what other demands Putin may present – and warned that the apparent concession could be a tactic to draw Trump into accepting broader Russian terms. In addition to previously reported demands, such as Ukraine not joining Nato, Russia could also seek an end to western military aid for Kyiv and a ban on the presence of western troops in Ukraine.
Russian state media Tass reports that Ukraine’s armed forces attacked the Belgorod region with 142 drones in the last 24 hours. It also reports that two houses have been attacked and three more damaged in the Kursk region after they were struck by Ukrainian drones. Acting governor Alexander Khinshtein reported no casualties.
In Ukraine an air alert has sounded in the Kherson region.
London left embarrassed amid fears Trump could back Russia's plan – analysis
David Lammy had been expecting to host a fresh round of Ukraine peace talks in London today, bringing together the US, Ukraine and Europe and so maintain relationships between traditional allies even as direct US-Russia talks to end the Ukraine war continue.
But the British minister has been embarrassed by US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s sudden decision late on Tuesday not to turn up and a rising chorus of leaks apparently from the US and Russia designed to derail the discussions and to promote the idea that the most significant discussions are those taking place directly between Washington and Moscow.
Initial indications are that Russia is willing to trade territory it does not control in Ukraine - in effect fresh air - for a US recognition of its 2014 seizure of Crimea, in other words a formal acknowledgement that it is possible to change borders by force, in effect creating an extraordinary precedent.
The Kremlin’s signals are carefully calibrated and almost certainly designed to make it difficult for Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine’s leadership has repeatedly signalled – as Zelenskyy repeated on Tuesday – that it could not legally recognise the seizure of Crimea or any of its other territory that Russia occupies.
But Russia is banking on the idea that Ukraine is weary after over three years of war and that its proposal is a reasonable counter to western suggestions, backed by the US, Ukraine and Europe, that there should be an immediate and full ceasefire to allow other talks to take place.
It is so far unclear how far Russia is serious even in this offer at a time when it has seemingly stepped up attacks on Ukrainian civilians with nine killed in a bus attack today. But that may develop quickly in an environment where briefing to the media is coming ahead of diplomatic niceties.
And with Donald Trump seemingly desperate for a quick ceasefire and frustrated with the lack of progress, it is a proposal the White House may start pushing in public.
Updated
Ukraine delegation arrives in London after top-level talks downgraded
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has arrived in London, accompanied by Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov and foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.
In a series of posts to social media Yermak said “despite everything, we will work for peace.”
“Today we will talk about ways to achieve a complete and unconditional ceasefire as the first step towards a full-fledged settlement process and achieving a just and sustainable peace.”
He said the path was not easy, but Ukraine remained committed to it, and that the positions taken by Ukraine in previous talks showed that his country was not an obstacle to peace.
The number of people injured by a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia yesterday has increased to 42, including a pregnant woman, according to local officials.
Dan Sabbagh is the Guardian’s defence and security editor
The UK Foreign Office has confirmed that ministerial Ukraine peace talks with US and European counterparts due to be held today have been postponed, amid speculation that Russia has abandoned its claims to Ukrainian territory it does not occupy, and after US secretary of state Marco Rubio said he could not attend.
A short statement from the Foreign Office announced that ministerial meetings that had been scheduled to start this morning would not now take place and would be replaced by behind the scenes discussions held by officials, clarifying a carefully worded statement made late last night by foreign secretary David Lammy after he had spoken to Rubio.
Posting on social media just before midnight, Lammy said his discussions with Rubio were productive but hinted that they would take place at a slightly lower level. “Talks continue at pace and officials will meet in London tomorrow. This is a critical moment for Ukraine, Britain and Euro-Atlantic security,” he had said.
Britain had placed an important emphasis on the talks, with delegations from France and Germany also due to participate, but the downgrade to the discussions comes as leaks suggest that Russia is willing to abandon its territorial claims to three Ukrainian regions it only partially occupies in return for the US recognising the annexation of Crimea.
Rubio indicated he would be “rescheduling my trip to the UK in the coming months”.
Ukraine claims to have shot down 67 out of 134 drones used in Russian attacks overnight
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, citing the Ukrainian air force, reports that overnight Ukraine claimed to have shot down 67 out of 134 drones used in Russian attacks.
Additionally the air force reported that 47 drones did not reach their target. Attacks, it said, happened in the Kharkiv, Poltava, Donetsk, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhia regions.
A Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets early on Wednesday, killing at least nine people and wounding 30 others, according to officials. At least six people were reported injured in the Poltava region.
Local officials in Kherson reported an attack on energy infrastructure by Russia, and warned of the potential for power supply disruptions.
High-level peace talks, which had been due to be held in London, have been postponed and downgraded, after it became clear that US secretary of state Marco Rubio would not be attending.
In a statement, the UK’s Foreign Office said “the Ukraine peace talks meeting with foreign ministers today is being postponed. Official level talks will continue but these are closed to media.”
Overnight Rubio and the UK’s foreign secretary David Lammy exchanged messages on social media, saying they had enjoyed “productive” talks, with Lammy describing it as “a critical moment for Ukraine, Britain and Euro-Atlantic security.”
Reports in both the Financial Times and by Axios have suggested that the outline of a deal might involve a ceasefire along the existing frontline, the US recognising that Crimea is Russian, and a US veto on Ukraine joining Nato.
Ukraine peace talks with foreign ministers in London postponed
The peace talks, scheduled to take place in London today and to have been hosted by British foreign secretary David Lammy, have been downgraded to official talks, and closed to the media.
In a statement, the UK’s Foreign Office said “the Ukraine peace talks meeting with foreign ministers today is being postponed. Official level talks will continue but these are closed to media.”
More details soon …
Ukraine’s emergency service has issued these pictures from the scene of a drone strike on a bus in Marhanets that killed at least nine people and wounded 30 others, according to officials.
Ahead of the talks in London today, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated his country was open to an unconditional ceasefire. On Tuesday night he said “If we are ready for an unconditional ceasefire – it means silence at sea, in the air, and at the front, on the ground – Ukraine is ready to take the relevant steps.”
Overnight, US secretary of state Marco Rubio and the UK foreign secretary David Lammy exchanged pleasantries in public, both saying they had enjoyed “productive” talks.
Lammy said “The UK is working with the US, Ukraine and Europe for peace and to put an end to Putin’s illegal invasion. This is a critical moment for Ukraine, Britain and Euro-Atlantic security.”
For today’s First Edition newsletter, my colleague Nimo Omer spoke to the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh:
Though Vladimir Putin has paid lip service to the idea of peace, he has not seemed “particularly serious in his desire”, Dan Sabbagh says, in part because Moscow has continued to pursue its maximalist objectives of controlling all of Ukraine’s partially occupied provinces – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
However, according to a report in the Financial Times, the Kremlin has said that it would halt its invasion of Ukraine along the current frontline if the US agreed that Crimea belonged to Russia. Ukraine has rejected any Russian claim on Crimea.
The overall US proposal, thought to be linked to Trump’s threats to walk away from the table completely, is perhaps the first time since the early days of the war that Moscow is stepping back from its maximalist demands. On top of “de-facto recognition” of most of the occupied territories, a plan reported by Axios also includes assurances to Russia that Ukraine will not become a part of Nato, the lifting of sanctions against Russia and bigger economic cooperation between Russia and the US.
After today’s meetings in London, the US is expected to relay Ukraine’s response to Putin, as Witkoff is set to visit Moscow later this week in his fourth meeting with the Russian president.
Ukraine’s priority seems to still be a 30-day ceasefire, as opposed to pivoting to this new US-led framework. How this will shake out in negotiations, as Trump grows increasingly tempestuous, is unclear.
Read more of Nimo Omer and Dan Sabbagh’s discussion here: Wednesday briefing – Can the latest ceasefire talks in London break the stalemate in Ukraine?
The press service of Ukraine’s emergency services has issued these photographs of first responders at the scenes of Russian attacks overnight in Kharkiv and Poltova.
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, reports that an energry facility in Kherson has been destroyed by a Russian attack. Citing regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin, it reported that “Energy workers are trying to stabilize the energy situation in the city. Forced outages are possible in the near future.”
At least nine killed by Russian drone attack on bus in Marhanets
A Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets early on Wednesday, killing nine people in a wave of attacks that targeted civilian infrastructure in east, south and central Ukraine, officials said.
“The Russians attacked a bus with employees of the enterprise who were on their way to work in Marhanets,” Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region council, said on Telegram.
Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, which includes Marhanets, in central-southern Ukraine, said nine people were killed in the attack, with at least 30 injured.
Reuters reports Ukraine’s emergency service said that there was also an attack on the Synelnykivskyi district in the Dnipropetrovsk region that injured two people and sparked a fire at an agricultural enterprise.
Russia also launched “a massive” drone attack on the central Ukrainian region of Poltava, injuring at least six people, the emergency service said in a post on Telegram messaging app. “Solely the city’s civilian infrastructure was under enemy attacks,” the emergency service said.
London to host US and European negotiators for ceasefire talks
Dan Sabbagh and Luke Harding report from Kyiv
David Lammy, the British foreign secretary, will host US and European negotiators for fresh talks about Ukraine on Wednesday amid speculation that Russia has told Washington it might be willing to drop its claim to parts of Ukraine it does not occupy.
The price would include the US making concessions to Moscow such as recognising the 2014 annexation of Crimea, though Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said no such proposal had been shared with him by the White House and that his country could not endorse it.
The emerging US-Russia plan would envisage a ceasefire along roughly the existing frontlines once Moscow’s territorial demand has been dropped, leaks suggest – something that Ukraine has indicated it could accept, as long it did not have to recognise Russian occupation as permanent or legal.
Ukraine would be prevented by a US veto from joining Nato, a point largely accepted by a reluctant Kyiv. The only future security guarantees for Ukraine would be provided by a UK/French-led 30-country “coalition of the willing” to provide a “reassurance force”, but this would not include the US.
It had been hoped that Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, would attend the talks, but the state department said on Tuesday that would no longer be possible and that Keith Kellogg, the White House’s Ukraine envoy, would be present instead.
Welcome and opening summary …
Good morning, welcome to our rolling coverage of the war in Ukraine. Here are the headlines …
US and European allies will join their UK and Ukraine counterparts in London for the latest round of peace talks
Leaks have suggested an emerging US-Russia plan would envisage a ceasefire along roughly the existing frontlines, with Moscow dropping further territorial demands, and the US recognising Russia’s occupation of Crimea
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said no such proposal about Crimea had been shared with him, by the White House and that his country could not endorse it
Ukraine would be prevented by a US veto from ever joining Nato, a point now largely accepted by a reluctant Kyiv
A Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets early on Wednesday, killing nine people in a wave of attacks that targeted civilian infrastructure in east, south and central Ukraine, officials said
