London (Europe Brief News): The high-level Ukraine ceasefire talks between the United States, Ukraine, France, Germany and the United Kingdom downgraded to discussions among their senior officials, after the last-minute withdrawal of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, prompting doubts about the actual progress being achieved.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s absence on Wednesday led to a high level meeting with foreign ministers from Ukraine, the UK, France, and Germany being substituted with talks at an official level, highlighting the tension between Washington, Kyiv, and its European allies regarding Russia’s conflict in Ukraine
General Keith Kellogg, a retired general and President Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, attended in Rubio’s place. The members of the Ukrainian delegation included the country’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, defense minister, Rustem Umerov, and the head of President Zelenskyy’s office, Andriy Yermak. The UK’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, attended the downgraded session only for a short time.
One diplomat told The Washington Post that “The foreign minister-level meeting isn’t happening, “Without the secretary of state and Trump’s special envoy and the French and German foreign ministers,” “there’s no reason for the foreign secretary to chair,” he added.
Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg said talks with Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak were positive. “It’s time to move forward on President Trump’s UKR-RU war directive: stop the killing, achieve peace, and put America First,” he said in a statement on X.
Zelenskyy said the talks had been marked by emotions and expressed hope that future joint work would lead to peace. “Emotions have run high today. But it is good that 5 countries met to bring peace closer,” he wrote on the X social media platform. “The American side shared its vision. Ukraine and other Europeans presented their inputs.”
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer played down any disappointment over Rubio’s abrupt cancellation, saying the talks involved “substantive technical meetings with European, US and Ukrainian officials on how to stop the fighting” triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion.
“We remain absolutely committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and these talks today are an important part of that,” the spokesperson said.
A foreign office spokesperson said “all agreed to continue their close coordination and looked forward to further talks soon.”
The talks reportedly focussed on establishing what ceasefire terms Kyiv could feasibly accept after US envoy Witkoff presented proposals at a similar gathering in Paris last week which reportedly appeared to demand more concessions from Ukraine than from Russia.
Reuters reported that several sources said Witkoff’s proposals included recognising Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, Washington beginning to lift sanctions on Russia and ruling out Ukrainian membership of NATO.
Mattia Nelles, who leads the German-Ukrainian Bureau think tank in Dusseldorf Told Al Jazeera that Europe now finds itself in the position of drawing red lines and trying to prevent Ukraine from being “thrown under the bus”.
The main concern of European nations lay in the United States opposition to economic restrictions.. “The US seeks sanctions relief as part of its solution but this policy presents a significant danger because it allows Russia to rapidly rebuild its military while sustained Ukrainian defense capability appears weakened according to Nelles, adding that this would remain unacceptable to both Kyiv and other European nations.
On the other hand, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha expressed that their delegation had a day of active diplomatic work in London.
We had three important meetings: a bilateral meeting between Ukrainian and British foreign and defense ministers, David Lammy and John Healey, a multilateral meeting with national security and foreign policy advisers from the UK Jonathan Powell, France Emmanuel Bonne, and Germany Jens Plötner, and a meeting with US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Gen. Keith Kellogg, He said in a post on X.
Sybiha stated that, “Our meeting with UK counterparts focused on the path to peace and the implementation of the 100-year Ukraine-UK partnership that our leaders signed this year. We are grateful to our British friends for their unwavering support.”
“We engaged in a significant discussion with delegates from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, building upon our earlier diplomatic initiatives in Paris.” We reiterated Ukraine’s dedication to the peace initiatives spearheaded by U.S. President Donald Trump and our readiness to progress towards a thorough, fair, and enduring peace. “We will maintain our ongoing conversation,” he further stated.
Sybiha gave remarks regarding meeting with Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, “During our meeting with the U.S. Special Envoy General Keith Kellog we had a constructive exchange of views on the path to peace. Ukraine wants the war to end more than anyone else in the world. We are committed to working together to achieve this goal.”
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister extended appreciation to British Foreign Minister David Lammy and his country for their welcoming behavior and leadership. “Today’s discussions assisted in aligning our stances and reinforced our unwavering dedication to enduring peace and security, both in Ukraine and across Europe and the transatlantic region,” Sybiha said.
How did the high level talks in Paris go between U.S and European Officials?
French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the high level talk on April 17, 2025, describes it as “an important convergence.” He added, “Everyone wants to get peace. A robust and sustainable peace. The question is about phasing.” A spokesperson from the Élysée Palace said, “We have started a positive process in which Europeans are a part.”
The French official said: “The Americans are willing to talk about security guarantees, but the exact nature of those guarantees will depend on negotiations that allow Ukraine to achieve a strong and long-lasting peace beginning with a complete ceasefire as soon as possible.”
The Élysée spokesperson said the object of the meetings was “to allow Ukraine to better understand the US proposals”, adding that the fact that Rubio, Witkoff and Kellogg attended “shows they recognise the important role of the Europeans”.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media, “The time to end the war between Russia and Ukraine is now”. He added, “Today in Paris, Special Envoy to the Middle East and Special Presidential Envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Gen. Keith Kelogg and I met with leaders from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Ukraine to talk about how we can stop the killing and reach a just and sustainable peace”. U.S President Donald Trump envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who also attended the high level talk, stated the talks were “very productive” but he did not give more details.
A spokesperson for the US State department, Tammy Bruce said, “The United States and President Trump want this war to end, and they have now presented the outlines of a durable and lasting peace to all parties.” He added, “The encouraging reception in Paris to the United States framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement.”
Bruce said Secretary of State Marco spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Thursday April 17, 2025, conveying the same message he gave the delegations in Paris.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, stated that “We exchanged views on the next steps, including the implementation of a full ceasefire, the involvement of a multinational military contingent and development of effective security architecture for Ukraine.”
The high level talk in Paris was the first meeting of top United States officials, European Political leaders and Ukrainian representatives who met jointly to seek an end to the war, since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.
What Triggered the High- Level talks between US and Europe?
The High level talks between U.S officials with the European leaders comes in the light of a dubious 30-hour truce and several weeks of intensified Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities, including a particularly brutal strike that killed at least 35 people in the north-eastern city of Sumy on onApril 13, 2025.
Meanwhile, A combined attack involving missiles and drones from Russia on Thursday, April 24, 2025, resulted in fires, destroyed buildings, and trapped residents under debris in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, leading to the death of at least 9 people and injuring over 70, which includes six children, as reported by Ukrainian officials.
