Ukraine peace talks collapse after U.S. officials withdraw

Efforts to broker a temporary peace in Ukraine took a significant hit on Wednesday as high-profile talks in London crumbled. The abrupt withdrawal of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff derailed what Kyiv had hoped would be a crucial step toward a ceasefire with Russia.

Despite the absence of the top U.S. diplomats, Ukrainian officials, including presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, continued to meet with other European leaders and Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg. But the absence of Rubio and Witkoff cast a shadow over the proceedings.

“We continue working for peace,” Yermak posted on X, attempting to keep morale high amid the diplomatic turbulence.

Rubio and Witkoff’s withdrawal marks a notable departure from U.S. leadership in peace negotiations, underscoring what experts say is a shift in Washington's strategy. According to Dr. Bence Németh of King’s College London, the move reflects “diplomatic fatigue” and a pivot away from drawn-out, international diplomacy toward more unilateral leverage.

“The U.S. is not positioning itself as a neutral mediator anymore,” Németh noted.

Officially, a State Department spokesperson downplayed the withdrawal, citing “logistical issues.” But European diplomats on the ground say their absence was unexpected and damaging to the already fragile peace process.

The breakdown comes during a week in which President Donald Trump’s administration is ramping up efforts to push Ukraine and Russia toward a truce. Approaching the 100-day mark of his second term, Trump is under pressure to show progress on his campaign promise to end the war quickly.

Yet last week’s proposed “terms sheet” presented in Paris by Rubio and Witkoff reportedly involving recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in exchange for sanctions relief was met with rejection from both Kyiv and Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stood firm, reiterating on Tuesday that there would be “nothing to discuss” if Crimea were on the table. “This is against our Constitution,” he told reporters.

The British and French foreign ministries, originally expected to participate in the London meeting, also pulled back. France cited scheduling conflicts, while the U.K. simply announced a postponement.

Still, Ukrainian ministers pressed on. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with British counterparts to discuss security guarantees and defense cooperation, suggesting that Ukraine is not giving up on diplomacy—just shifting its focus.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had aimed to press Washington on European red lines in future settlements, but he, too, ultimately missed the London summit.

On the other side, Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first tentative suggestion that he would entertain bilateral ceasefire discussions but only under conditions favoring the current status quo. Moscow proposed freezing the front lines, which would leave around 20% of Ukrainian territory under Russian control.

Putin’s openness comes after months of disengagement and might reflect a tactical shift amid battlefield stalemates. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that contacts with the U.S. would continue and that another meeting with Witkoff is planned in Moscow this week.

Still, analysts like Matthew Savill of the Royal United Services Institute say peace remains elusive: “A deal that involves conceding Crimea would be political suicide for Zelenskyy. Yet Ukraine isn’t going to recapture it anytime soon either.”

Despite this diplomatic collapse, conversations around ceasefires, security guarantees, and post-war reconstruction remain active. But the disintegration of this week’s talks and the broader lack of alignment between U.S., European, and Ukrainian visions of peace underscore just how fragile the road to resolution remains.

For now, Ukraine's diplomatic engine keeps running. But without strong U.S. backing and clear consensus on peace terms, a lasting solution remains out of reach.