High-Level Ukraine Peace Talks Scrapped After Rubio, Witkoff Pull Out Last Minute

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to lead a high-level American delegation for more Ukraine peace consultations among allies in London on Wednesday. But in the latest sign that White House patience is wearing thin, the American delegation became a no-show.

“European diplomats pulled the plug on high-level talks set for Wednesday about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine after top US diplomats abruptly canceled plans to attend,” The Washington Post reports.

Now there will only be lower-level talks, and a planned foreign minister’s meeting has been scrapped due to Rubio’s absence. All this highlights the clear rift between Washington and European partners, which has seen the US side push the idea of offering Russia recognition of its sovereignty over Crimea.

Ukraine has instead wanted to “discuss a complete ceasefire first and everything else later” – according to an official quoted in The Washington Post.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy was supposed to host his peers, but will now merely “drop in” during lower level talks, according to the report. “The foreign minister-level meeting isn’t happening,” an unnamed diplomat told the Post.

“We’re hopeful as per the Rubio tweet that a meeting in London can happen soon, but without Witkoff, the secretary of state, the French and German foreign ministers, there’s no reason for the foreign secretary to chair,” the diplomat said.

According to more travel details from the report:

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been scheduled to fly to London on Tuesday night but canceled those plans midday. Steve Witkoff, a special envoy and close ally of President Donald Trump central to White House efforts to broker an end to the war, also dropped out. He will head to Moscow this week, according to the Russians.

Likely these optics of Witkoff going to Moscow instead of London will be seen by Kiev as further evidence it is losing its number one ally and supplier of weapons and intelligence.

And Vice President JD Vance while on a planned trip to India Wednesday reiterated the White House stance, saying “We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process.”

He continued in the remarks to reporters while visiting the Taj Mahal, “We’re going to see if the Europeans, the Russians and the Ukrainians are ultimately able to get this thing over the finish line.”

Rubio and Witkoff will not be attending the London talks with Ukraine and European leaders. Kellogg will attend.

Yesterday Zelensky appeared to reject the Crimea recognition part of Kellogg’s plan.

Kellogg’s plan is going down in flames, and he will take the L. Rubio and… pic.twitter.com/kXd4LgMjlt

— Alex Christoforou (@AXChristoforou) April 23, 2025

The suggestion is that both sides would have to give up territories they control, and make mutual compromises, but still it’s clear that Russia is in the driver’s seat on the battlefield – having just this week also regained nearly all of Kursk territory, leaving Zelensky with no leverage there.

Ukraine has said it’s open to negotiations “but not to surrender”. President Putin has meanwhile in a surprise move reportedly offered to halt all front line fighting – or freeze it in place – for the sake of achieving peace; however, he would likely want major concessions from the West in return, starting with international recognition of Crimea as under Russia. And any ‘freeze’ of current lines leaves Russia in control of most of the Donbass region.