The change in meeting format follows reports that President Donald Trump suggested the US could recognize Crimea as Russian territory.
A high-level London meeting planned to address the Ukraine conflict has been scaled back after several key European ministers withdrew. This comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated he would not attend.
The meeting, initially scheduled for Wednesday, was expected to include top diplomats from the UK, US, France, Germany, and Ukraine. However, the UK Foreign Office told AFP that the in-person meeting has been postponed, and discussions will now take place at the official level.
Sky News reports that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga is still scheduled to meet bilaterally with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
The US State Department previously confirmed that Rubio would not be at the talks, citing scheduling issues. Spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated on Tuesday, “That is not a statement regarding the meetings; it’s a statement about logistical issues in his schedule.”
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will also be absent, with plans to visit Moscow this week. Instead, presidential envoy Keith Kellogg will represent the US in London.
Trump recently proposed a plan described as a “final offer” to resolve the Ukraine conflict. This proposal would reportedly involve the US formally recognizing Crimea as part of Russia and unofficially acknowledging Moscow’s “de facto” control over the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, along with the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. The plan is also said to entail lifting some sanctions against Russia and opposing NATO membership for Ukraine.
Crimea and four other regions overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in referendums held in 2014 and 2022. However, Kiev has rejected these results.
A Financial Times article claimed that Moscow might be willing to freeze hostilities with Ukraine along the current front lines. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the report, stated that “a lot of fakes are being published now,” urging people to rely only on “the primary sources” of information.
“`