London (TDI): Representatives of Europe, Ukraine, and the United States meet in London today as chances of any breakthrough in peace talks look slim, owing to Rubio cancelling his trip.
After Rubio’s announcement, other European Foreign Ministers, who were supposed to be in London for an important meeting with the Secretary of State, also withdrew.
The London round of talks are a continuation of last week’s Paris meeting where France, UK, Germany, Ukrainian officials, and Rubio and Witkoff gathered for discussing peace plan proposals.
So far, Ukraine is determined to not bend on the proposal contained in US’s plan that allows Russia to keep control of Crimea.
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
This has turned out to be the single most-significant point where Ukraine and Europe diverge from the US view of ceasefire, alongside some other matters.
While European countries have a unified stance and they continue to back Ukraine, the United States under President Trump has accomodated some of Russia’s demands.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, is representing the country in London. However, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff remains absent from these talks but will be in Russia next week to talk with President Putin.
With Secretary Rubio skipping today’s meeting, the earlier warning by Trump that the US will withdraw if both sides do not reach an agreement soon, seems to be taking shape.
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 the US will fully withdraw is hard to say since Marco Rubio spoke with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy before the London talks and expressed hope for “substantive and good technical meetings.”
All stakeholders involved are in a tight spot as the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks progress at snail’s pace. Europe is unflinching in Ukraine’s support while Russia puts discontinuation of European military support as a pre-condition for ceasefire.
The United States is loud about withdrawal from the talks but it is still a NATO member and cannot pull out of all security commitments over night.
Nuzhat Rana is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
