The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, the US, France, Germany and Ukraine have postponed the summit that was to take place on Wednesday in London, as part of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Talks will continue at the level of senior officials from the five countries, although the Ukrainian Foreign Minister will still travel to the British capital for a bilateral meeting with David Lammy.
The downgrading of diplomatic representation contrasts with the growing pressure from Donald Trump and his associates for Kyiv and Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.
At the center of the London talks is a US peace proposal which—according to reports—includes recognition by the United States of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, a proposal Volodymyr Zelensky has explicitly rejected.
The plan also calls for freezing the current front lines. At the same time, Ukraine’s allies are looking at security guarantees and reconstruction plans.
The Financial Times reported that Vladimir Putin is also said to have proposed a halt to hostilities along current front lines, which would leave about 20% of Ukrainian territory under Russian control. It remains unclear if Kyiv would accept such a deal.
The US ultimatum
US president Trump, who took office promising a rapid end to the war, is now warning that he will “withdraw” from mediation efforts if Ukraine and Russia “complicate” the achievement of an agreement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated last week that Washington would leave the talks if no progress is made within days.
Rubio was set to travel to London to meet with Lammy and the foreign ministers of Ukraine, France and Germany, but his trip has now been cancelled. As a result, Paris and Berlin have frozen their respective plans to participate at ministerial level, although they hope a high-level political meeting will happen soon.
In his place, Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine, will represent Washington in talks with French and German officials in London.
The UK and France are leading efforts to prevent Europe from being sidelined by Donald Trump in the peace process.
At the same time, willing allies are being sought to send foreign forces—including from the UK and France—to Ukraine, in the event of a ceasefire agreement, to ensure peace. However, defense experts express doubts about the effectiveness of such a plan without the support of the US and its military power.
Lammy–Rubio phone call
Instead of an in-person meeting, Lammy had a phone conversation with Rubio on Tuesday, which he described as “productive” in a post on X.
“The United Kingdom is working with the US, Ukraine, and Europe for peace and to end Putin’s illegal invasion,” he wrote. “Talks are continuing quickly and tomorrow [Wednesday] officials will meet in London. This is a critical moment for Ukraine, Britain, and Euro-Atlantic security.”
Rubio posted a similar message: “Today I had a productive discussion with the British Foreign Secretary. I thanked him for hosting the American delegation led by Keith Kellogg. Our team looks forward to meaningful and technically sound discussions with our Ukrainian and British counterparts. I look forward to continuing after the current round of talks in London and to rescheduling my trip to the United Kingdom in the coming months.”
