Talks on ending war downgrade as Rubio cancels London trip

TALKS between the US, Ukraine and European officials to discuss ending Russia's war in Ukraine faltered yesterday as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly cancelled his trip to London and negotiations were downgraded.

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Rubio's no show prompted a broader meeting of foreign ministers from Ukraine, Britain, France and Germany to be cancelled, although talks continued at a lower level. The US would now be represented by Ukraine envoy General Keith Kellogg.

The downgrading of the talks comes at a critical time, just days after US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could walk away if there was no progress on a deal soon. Trump raised the pressure at the weekend when he said he hoped Moscow and Kyiv would make a deal this week to end the three-year war.

A European official said Rubio had indicated to his British hosts concerns that Ukraine could revert to its toughest positions, making any breakthrough at the talks impossible.

Rubio spoke to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy this week and said he looked forward to rescheduling his trip in the coming months after Wednesday's “technical meetings”.