Top diplomats of the United States, Ukraine, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have postponed a planned meeting in London, downgrading the talks on ending the war in Ukraine to discussions among their senior officials.
The UK Foreign Office indicated that ministerial-level meetings would be replaced by discussions at an official level.
The move follows US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to travel to Moscow instead, with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has also opted to not attend. In their absence, Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia, is leading the American delegation.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha arrived in London along with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.
“Ukraine has repeatedly said that it does not exclude any of the formats that can lead to a ceasefire and further to real peace,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “Stopping the killings is the number one task.”
‘There is nothing to talk about’
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The downgrading in the level of diplomacy comes amid signs of mounting frustration in Washington. “We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,” Rubio told reporters following the Paris talks. He warned that Trump may soon pivot to “other priorities.”
Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallego, reporting from London, said the significance of the talks had been “significantly downgraded” by the absence of the top US officials.
“These talks have been downgraded, they are not being hosted by the foreign secretary [Rubio], although he will be popping into those talks certainly to give his opinions on how to move forward with this process,” she said.
“[Rubio] will be holding bilateral talks with the Ukrainian foreign secretary as well, taking advantage perhaps of the opportunity while those parties are gathered here in London to be able to see exactly how the European sides are going to be pushing forward in this pursuit of a ceasefire.”
The discussions follow earlier negotiations in Paris and were expected to build on a ceasefire framework circulated by the US last week.
According to officials briefed on the proposal circulated by the US in Paris, the framework includes a controversial provision requiring Ukraine to recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
The document, described by US officials as Trump’s “final offer”, has prompted strong opposition from Kyiv.
“There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory – the territory of the people of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said during a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.
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Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, is among several potential concessions Kyiv fears may be under consideration, alongside concerns that further ground could be ceded in the partially occupied regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia.
“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,” Zelenskyy added.
Zelenskyy reiterated that negotiations could only proceed following an unconditional halt to Russian hostilities.
In a show of support for Ukraine, the French presidency reiterated that any peace deal must include respect for Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty. “Ukraine’s territorial integrity and European aspirations are very strong requirements for Europeans,” a spokesperson for President Emmanuel Macron told AFP.
Nine killed in Dnipropetrovsk
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly offered to freeze fighting along current front lines as part of a potential agreement, according to the Financial Times newspaper.
The offer comes after the expiration of a 30-hour Easter truce declared by Moscow, which both sides accused each other of violating.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Witkoff was expected to return to Moscow this week for further discussions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, warned against rushing the process.
“The settlement issue is so complex that it would be wrong to put some tight limits to it and try to set some short timeframe for a settlement, a viable settlement – it would be a thankless task,” he said.
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In the UK’s House of Commons on Tuesday, Defence Secretary John Healey accused Russia of deliberately stalling the peace process.
“While Putin has said he declared an Easter truce, he broke it; while Putin says he wants peace, he has rejected a full ceasefire; and while Putin says he wants to put an end to the fighting, he continues to play for time in the negotiations,” he said.
As diplomatic efforts continue, Russian forces have escalated attacks on civilian infrastructure. Overnight drone strikes hit multiple targets across Ukraine.
In Marhanets, a drone attack on a bus carrying workers killed nine people, according to Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
In Odesa, two people were injured and several fires broke out after another drone targeted civilian infrastructure, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said.
Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Kyiv, said that there were also attacks in the cities of Dnipro, Kharkiv, Poltava and Kherson.
Local officials are pointing out that the latest Russian attacks “almost guarantee that there will be civilian casualties” and that “public infrastructure is once again being targeted”, he said.
