Reporting from London, talks in the city aimed at securing a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia have undergone changes as the original planned involvement of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff has been omitted. Instead, the meeting on Wednesday will involve senior officials from the UK, France, Germany, Ukraine, and the US, with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy holding a one-on-one meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Gen Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Ukraine envoy, will be present at the talks in lieu of Rubio and Witkoff. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly stated that his country will not acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, shutting down any discussions surrounding this topic during the talks.
Amid increased speculation that Russia may be open to halting its invasion along current front lines in exchange for significant concessions, the pace of diplomatic efforts to end the war has picked up. There remains uncertainty about the direction of these efforts and their potential success.
The White House confirmed that Witkoff will be traveling to Moscow for his fourth meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while the UK Foreign Office announced the postponement of talks between foreign ministers. This shift in direction comes in the midst of reports suggesting that Russia might consider ending its invasion and territorial aspirations in exchange for US recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea. Despite these reports, Zelensky has maintained Ukraine’s position on Crimea and dismissed any possibility of recognizing it as Russian territory
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