Talks between the US, Ukraine and European officials to discuss ending Russia's war in Ukraine faltered on Wednesday as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly cancelled his trip to London and negotiations were downgraded.
Rubio's no show prompted a broader meeting of foreign ministers from Ukraine, Britain, France and Germany to be cancelled, although talks continued at a lower level. The US would now be represented by Ukraine envoy General Keith Kellogg.
The downgrading of the talks comes at a critical time, just 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 war.
A European official said Rubio had indicated to his British hosts concerns that Ukraine could revert to its toughest positions, making any breakthrough at the talks impossible.
Rubio spoke to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy late on Tuesday and said he looked forward to rescheduling his trip in the coming months after Wednesday's "technical meetings".
Speaking on his arrival in London with the foreign and defense ministers, Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said the talks would focus on ways to achieve a full and unconditional ceasefire as a first step to peace.
"Despite everything, we will work for peace," he said on social media.
The meeting is a follow-up to a similar session in Paris last week where US, Ukrainian and European officials discussed ways to move forward and narrow positions.
During those talks, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff presented a paper to the participants outlining proposals in which Ukraine in particular, but also Russia, would need to make concessions, according to three diplomats aware of the talks.
The diplomats differed on whether the position paper was a firm US stance or a starting point to work with Ukraine and its British, French and German allies to formulate a joint position before taking it to Russia.
DIFFICULT PROPOSALS
Some of Washington's proposals were unacceptable to European countries and Kyiv, multiple sources said, leaving the sides divided, but still optimistic that they could reach a compromise.
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that the Europeans had detailed to the United States what they view as the non-negotiable aspects of a potential Ukraine-Russia peace accord.
Rubio last week said the US framework that he and Witkoff proposed in Paris received an encouraging reception.
But the sources said that among the US proposals was recognizing Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, a move that was a non-starter for Europe and Ukraine.
Ukraine and the Europeans would also need to accept 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 remove sanctions on Russia.
The London talks were aimed at working to bridge differences and find areas that could satisfy Moscow and open a serious negotiation, the diplomats said.
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.
Washington 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 said on Tuesday he would be ready to partner with the United States to restart the plant.
Some of Washington's ideas are also likely to displease Moscow. Two diplomats said the US was not pushing a Russian demand to demilitarize Ukraine and was not opposed to a European force as part of future security guarantees for Ukraine.
Witkoff had not been 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.
Since taking office in January, Trump has upended US foreign policy, pressing Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire while easing many of the measures the Biden administration had taken to punish Russia for its 2022 full-scale invasion.
The US president has repeatedly said that he wants to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine by May, arguing the US must end a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and risks a direct confrontation between the US and nuclear-armed Russia.
