Broke down before it started: what is known about the meeting on Ukraine in London

On Wednesday, April 23, the foreign ministers were supposed to hold talks in London on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, but as a result, the status of the meeting was significantly lowered, and important issues were not raised. At first, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would not fly to the talks. Then Paris and Berlin also refused. The reason for all this was the words of President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky (powers expired on May 20, 2024) about the refusal to recognize Crimea as Russian. The meeting did take place, however, it was held at the level of official representatives. For more information about the agreements reached during the negotiations, see the Izvestia article.

Meeting in London on April 23: what is known, what has been agreed

On Wednesday, April 23, a meeting of official representatives of a number of Western countries took place in London in order to re-discuss the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. Initially, the negotiations were supposed to take place at the level of foreign ministers, but later its level was lowered.

Prior to that, it was reported that the United States in London was supposed to present a settlement plan consisting of seven points, one of which was the recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea by the United States. However, these conditions were rejected by Kiev leader Vladimir Zelensky, which is why US Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to travel to the UK.

As a result, Keith Kellogg, the US President's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, flew to London from the United States. The United Kingdom was represented by Jonathan Powell, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security Issues, France by Emmanuel Bonn, Diplomatic Adviser to the President, and Germany by Jens Pletner, Adviser to the Chancellor on Foreign Policy and Security Issues. On the Ukrainian side, the head of Vladimir Zelensky's office, Andriy Ermak, the country's Foreign Minister, Andriy Sibiga, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov participated.

The meeting ended with the signing of declarations and an agreement on "further regular consultations to achieve peace." According to Ermak, the meeting participants emphasized the commitment of US President Donald Trump to the efforts of a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

At the same time, no important decisions were made at the meeting.

As Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated during a briefing on Thursday, "to call a spade a spade, Zelensky disrupted the London round of consultations, convincingly confirming Bankova's intentions to torpedo the emerging peace process at any cost."

The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that in London it was planned to discuss a peace settlement plan prepared by the United States, but Kiev categorically refused to make any concessions stipulated in this plan.

The media reported on the anxiety of Europeans due to the growing split with the United States in the context of Ukraine

Kiev's position on the negotiations in London

According to Rustem Umerov, during the talks, representatives of Kiev and Washington analyzed possible scenarios for ending the conflict and agreed on approaches to upcoming steps. The issues of ceasefire and security guarantees were also raised. Rustem Umerov did not disclose details, citing respect for the negotiation process and partners, as well as the need to report to Vladimir Zelensky.

The head of Zelensky's office, Andriy Ermak, said that he had agreed to continue the dialogue with the special envoy of the US president: "I noted that under any circumstances Ukraine would defend its principled positions during the negotiations <...> We agreed to continue the dialogue and regular contacts."

Trump called Zelensky's words about the refusal to recognize Crimea interfering with the settlement

Assessment of the negotiations in London on April 23

Both the participants and the interested parties expressed their reaction to the outcome of the meeting. Washington's representative Keith Kellogg, who participated in the talks, called them positive and noted that it was time to "move forward" on the issue of the American president's proposals to resolve the conflict.

The British Foreign Office issued a joint statement on behalf of London, Paris and Berlin: "The negotiations today were productive and successful, they led to significant progress in reaching a common position on the next steps. Everyone agreed to continue close coordination and expressed hope for further negotiations in the near future."

US President Donald Trump also expressed his opinion: "They [the negotiations] went well. We need two people, two strong, intelligent people, to come to an agreement."

The results of the meeting were also appreciated by Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexander Dubinsky, who is accused of treason. In his Telegram channel, he wrote: "The United States is handing over the draft agreement, Ukraine-France-Britain is either accepting it or not. Next is the final meeting with Trump. After that, either peace or military defeat (through sanctions)."

The British newspaper Financial Times also noted that Kiev's European allies are trying to convince the Ukrainian leadership of the need for territorial concessions.

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The issue of Crimea's status and Trump's plan

One of the important points of Trump's plan, which is referred to by Western media, is the recognition of Crimea by the United States as Russian territory. However, due to Zelensky's loud statements on April 22 about his negative attitude towards the American proposal and his willingness to negotiate only on his own terms and only on a cease-fire, Washington abruptly lost interest in the meeting in London.

In particular, The Wall Street Journal noted that Zelensky's position negates Trump's latest step towards resolving the conflict "and creates new uncertainty in the future relations between Kiev and Washington, which Trump has made dependent on a quick deal."

The American president himself called Zelensky's statements "very harmful to peace negotiations with Russia."

"No one is asking Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn't they fight for it 11 years ago when it was handed over to Russia without firing a shot?" Trump wrote on the Truth Social network.

He also added that such statements by the Ukrainian leader complicate the settlement.

"He has nothing to brag about! The situation in Ukraine is difficult — he can either make peace or fight for three more years before losing the whole country," the US president wrote.

On the evening of April 23, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, reacted to Trump's words.

"We've been waiting! Hopefully, various European freaks like [British Prime Minister Keir] Starmer and [French President Emmanuel] Macron, they will hear this," he wrote on his personal blog.

Medvedev also expressed the hope that after the reaction of European leaders to Trump's words, Zelensky would "come to his senses."

As Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, explained to Izvestia on the eve, "over the past few months, Zelensky and his team have been staging almost demarches against certain proposals from the United States, which, of course, does not contribute to resolving the conflict and starting constructive negotiations."

However, according to the expert, the United States has the tools to influence Ukraine. "If there is a political will, then everything will be as the United States wants," Denisov stressed.