Rubio Skips Ukraine Ceasefire Talks After Kyiv Rejects Crimea Concession

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend crunch talks on a ceasefire for Ukraine in London on Wednesday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky doubled down on a refusal to recognize Russian control over Crimea as part of a future agreement.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump, who pledged to end the war in Ukraine in just 24 hours, has struggled to fulfil his commitment to stopping Europe’s largest land conflict since World War II.

The White House has grown increasingly frustrated with Moscow after Russian officials refused to ink a U.S.-brokered, 30-day full ceasefire agreement last month, which Ukraine has already signed.

Despite three visits to Russia by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, the Kremlin only agreed to a partial ceasefire covering the Black Sea once some sanctions are lifted, which has not yet come into force.

The Trump administration has signaled in recent days it would be willing to walk away from the ceasefire discussions if progress is not made quickly.

What To Know

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday that Trump’s Russia and Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, would be attending the talks in London on Wednesday, but Rubio would not travel to the British capital for the fresh rounds of discussions.

“But that is not a statement regarding the meetings,” Bruce said. “It’s a statement about logistical issues in his schedule.”

“I look forward to following up after the ongoing discussions in London and rescheduling my trip to the U.K. in the coming months,” Rubio said in a post to X on Tuesday.

Bruce, during an appearance on Fox News earlier in the day, had said she would travel with Rubio to London for the talks, which she described as having “potential.”

Britain’s Sky News reported on Wednesday that U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy, as well as the German and Ukrainian foreign ministers, would not attend the ceasefire talks in London, but would instead be represented by senior officials.

Trump had said over the weekend he hoped Russia and Ukraine would reach a deal “this week.”

Reports over the weekend indicated a U.S. proposal involves recognizing Russian control over Crimea and instituting a ceasefire along the current front lines.

Zelensky once again ruled out legitimizing Russia’s grip on the peninsula during a press conference on Tuesday, saying it would go against Kyiv’s constitution.

“This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.

Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, and said in fall 2022 it was annexing the four mainland Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. This is not internationally recognized.

Trump officials had increasingly indicated a peace agreement could involve continued Russian control of chunks of Ukraine, although Moscow does not fully control all of these regions.

Witkoff said after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month he had “compelling” discussions with senior Kremlin officials on how “five territories” figure into a ceasefire deal.

The Financial Times reported on Tuesday Putin had offered to stop the Russian invasion along the current front lines during his meeting with Witkoff.

Russia has laid out extensive conditions for its consent to a ceasefire in Ukraine, many of which have been flatly ruled out by Kyiv, including the dismantling of its military, no path toward NATO membership and recognition of Russia’s grip on seized territory. This has been rejected by Kyiv as unacceptable.

Rubio, leaving high-level talks with Ukrainian and European officials in Paris on Friday, had said the U.S. was willing to abandon its efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine if it felt its goals could not be achieved in the next few weeks.

Following Rubio’s remarks, Putin declared an Easter truce lasting 30 hours between 6 p.m. Moscow time (11 a.m. ET) on Saturday and midnight into Monday morning. It would cover “all military operations,” the Kremlin leader said.

Reports from Ukraine on Sunday indicated a quietening of the front lines, but officials still reported Russian assaults and drone attacks and said Kyiv would match Moscow’s actions. The Kremlin in turn accused Ukraine of breaching the ceasefire.

What People Are Saying

Rubio said on Tuesday he had a “productive conversation” with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and was grateful the U.K. for hosting the U.S. delegation in London led by special envoy Kellogg.

What Happens Next

Lammy said in his own post to X on Tuesday: “Talks continue at pace and officials will meet in London tomorrow. This is a critical moment for Ukraine, Britain and Euro-Atlantic security.”