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Efforts to find an end to the war in Ukraine will continue in London with officials from Kyiv along with US and European allies discussing ways to end the bloodshed. The talks have been downgraded from the high-level meeting of ministers which had been expected after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled out. Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg will represent Washington in the discussions in London instead. The US state department blamed a scheduling issue for Rubio’s absence, but it suggests the chances of a breakthrough in London are limited. Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff a Trump envoy who has been deeply involved in negotiations is set to return to Moscow this week. Ukraine could be forced to swallow a bitter pill under terms being ironed out between the US and Russia, according to the Financial Times, FT. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has offered to halt his invasion of Ukraine across its current front lines, the newspaper reported. Among the ideas floated by the US for the settlement are Moscow’s continued control of occupied Ukrainian regions, and US recognition that Russia owns the Crimean peninsula, the FT said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is unlikely to accept the surrender of Crimea and called for an unconditional ceasefire as the first step to negotiations to end the war. ‘If we are ready for an unconditional ceasefire it means silence at sea, in the air, and at the front, on the ground Ukraine is ready to take the relevant steps,’ he told reporters on Tuesday night. Ahead of Wednesday’s talks, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had a ‘productive call’ with Rubio. He said: ‘The UK is working with the US, Ukraine and Europe to put an end to Putin’s illegal invasion.’ Rubio said the US delegation now without him was ‘looking forward to substantive and good technical meetings with Ukrainian and UK counterparts’ and indicated he would be ‘rescheduling my trip to the UK in the coming months’. By David Hughes and David Lynch Press Association: News source: PA Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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