US Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that Moscow and Kyiv must strike a deal or Washington will end its efforts to reach a ceasefire.
‘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,’ Vance told reporters in India, where he is on a four-day visit.
Vance spoke as envoys from Washington, Kyiv and European nations gathered for talks in Britain amid a new US push to end Russia‘s war in Ukraine.
‘It’s now time, I think, to take, if not the final step, one of the final steps, which is, at a broad level, the party saying we’re going to stop the killing, we’re going to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,’ Vance added.
‘Now, of course, that means the Ukrainians and the Russians are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own,’ he added.
US President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to strike a deal between Moscow and Kyiv in 24 hours but has since failed to secure concessions from President Vladimir Putin.
Trump proposed an unconditional ceasefire in March, the principle of which was accepted by Kyiv but rejected by Putin.
The White House welcomed a separate agreement by both sides to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days, but the Kremlin has said it considers that moratorium to have expired.
US Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that Moscow and Kyiv must strike a deal or Washington will end its efforts to reach a ceasefire. Vance is currently on a four-day visit to India
US President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to strike a deal between Moscow and Kyiv in 24 hours but has since failed to secure concessions from President Vladimir Putin
It comes while Ukraine peace talks are teetering on the brink of chaos today after Marco Rubio snubbed a London summit with allies.
The US Secretary of State had been scheduled to join discussions with David Lammy and European powers.
However, the meetings have been downgraded to official level after he dramatically pulled out overnight – with Kyiv rejecting an apparent American demand to accept Russian sovereignty over Crimea.
The shape of Donald Trump‘s ‘peace’ proposal has been slowly emerging. It seems the president wants an immediate ceasefire, with the US recognising Crimea is Russian, and giving de facto recognition of the other territory that has been seized from Ukraine during the latest invasion.
All sanctions on Moscow would be lifted, Kyiv would be banned from joining Nato, and Volodymyr Zelensky would have to agree a deal for the US to exploit Ukraine’s mineral wealth, according to reports.
Small concessions to Kyiv could see Russia withdraw from an area around the Dnieper river and part of Kherson province. It is unclear what would happen to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
The blueprint is likely to fuel alarm among European governments, after they appealed for a tougher line against Vladimir Putin and for America to underpin security guarantees.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) had been scheduled to join discussions with David Lammy (right) and European powers.
Mr Trump, who previously boasted he could secure peace on ‘day one’, has been signalling he could walk away from the process altogether if an agreement is not struck soon.
The president’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg will represent Washington in the discussions in London instead of Mr Rubio, although he has looked increasing isolated in the administration.
The US state department blamed a scheduling issue for Mr 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.
Mr Zelensky has refused to surrender ownership Crimea – invaded by Russia in 2014 – and called for an unconditional ceasefire as the first step to negotiations to end the war.
‘This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine,’ the president said last night.
He told reporters: ‘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.’
Mr Zelensky has refused to surrender ownership Crimea – invaded by Russia in 2014 – and called for an unconditional ceasefire as the first step to negotiations to end the war
The blueprint is likely to fuel alarm among European governments, after they appealed for a tougher line against Vladimir Putin and for America to underpin security guarantees
Ahead of Wednesday’s talks, Mr Lammy tried to put a brave face on the situation saying he had a ‘productive call’ with Mr Rubio.
He said: ‘The UK is working with the US, Ukraine and Europe to put an end to Putin’s illegal invasion.’
Mr 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’.