Hopes of a breakthrough at peace talks in London to end Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine were dashed after America’s top diplomat Marco Rubio pulled out.
The withdrawal of the US Secretary of State led European foreign ministers also not to attend the meeting which had been billed as an opportunity to step up moves towards a ceasefire.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy had been due to host the discussions.
But in a sign of difficulties in the peace attempts, the talks were downgraded from the high-level meeting of ministers to one for senior officials.
As Donald Trump appeared willing to make significant concessions to Putin to stop the conflict, a European official said Rubio had indicated concern that Ukraine could revert to its previous tough positions, making any breakthrough at the talks impossible.
Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg will represent Washington in the discussions in London instead.
Today I had a productive conversation with UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy. I extended my gratitude for hosting the U.S. delegation, led by Special Presidential Envoy @SPE_Kellogg. Our team is looking forward to substantive and good technical meetings with Ukrainian and UK…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 22, 2025
The US state department blamed a scheduling issue for Mr Rubio’s absence, but it suggests the chances of a breakthrough in London are limited.
Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff, a Trump envoy who has been deeply involved in negotiations, is set to return to Moscow this week.
The talks in London on Wednesday were about ways to achieve a "full and unconditional ceasefire" as a first step towards peace, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on social media.
But the Kremlin said on Wednesday there were "many nuances" around talks on finding a way to end the conflict in Ukraine and that the positions of different sides involved in the talks had yet to be narrowed.
Ukraine could be forced to swallow a bitter pill under terms being ironed out between the US and Russia, according to the Financial Times (FT).
Putin has offered to halt his invasion of Ukraine across its current front lines, the newspaper reported, but he has been accused of seeking to “string along” Trump.
Among the ideas floated by the US for the settlement are Moscow’s continued control of occupied Ukrainian regions, and US recognition that Russia owns the Crimean peninsula, the FT said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is unlikely to accept the surrender of Crimea and called for an unconditional ceasefire as the first step to negotiations to end the war.
Productive call with @SecRubio. The UK is working with the US, Ukraine and Europe for peace and to put an end to Putin’s illegal invasion. Talks continue at pace and officials will meet in London tomorrow. This is a critical moment for Ukraine, Britain and Euro-Atlantic security. https://t.co/HmHvtGsnoE
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 22, 2025
“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,” he said.
Ahead of Wednesday’s talks, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had a “productive call” with Mr Rubio.
He said: “The UK is working with the US, Ukraine and Europe to put an end to Putin’s illegal invasion.”
Mr Rubio said the US delegation, now without him, was “looking forward to substantive and good technical meetings with Ukrainian and UK counterparts” and indicated he would be “rescheduling my trip to the UK in the coming months”.
