Photo credit: www.theguardian.com
On Wednesday, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will lead discussions with US and European negotiators regarding the situation in Ukraine. This dialogue comes amid rumors that Russia may be willing to concede claims to certain parts of Ukraine that it currently does not occupy, as communicated to Washington.
In exchange for such concessions, the US might recognize Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that this proposal has not been put forward to him by the White House, stressing that Ukraine cannot agree to it.
According to sources, the US-Russia negotiations propose a ceasefire along current front lines if Moscow renounces its territorial claims. Ukraine appears open to such a move, provided it does not have to validate Russia’s occupation as permanent or lawful.
Furthermore, a US veto would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, a condition that Ukraine has reluctantly acknowledged. Instead, security assurances would come from a UK-French coalition consisting of 30 countries set to provide a “reassurance force,” excluding US involvement.
Initially, there was an expectation for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to participate in the talks; however, the State Department announced that this was no longer possible. Keith Kellogg, the White House’s envoy for Ukraine, is set to attend in Rubio’s place.
These discussions in London unfold amid skepticism among European leaders regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true willingness to negotiate peace. This doubt was reinforced during the recent Easter weekend, when Ukraine reported numerous violations of a truce proclaimed by Putin.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey emphasized that the UK stands in agreement with Ukraine concerning the inconsistencies between Putin’s verbal commitments and the military realities on the ground. He pointed out that despite an announced truce, there was no evidence of a ceasefire being upheld during the Easter period.
Zelenskyy reported that Russia intensified its drone attacks along the front lines during Easter, although the scale of operations had diminished, with fewer long-range assaults.
Healey mentioned his plans to meet with Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov as part of preparations involving US, UK, and European officials to chart the way forward.
Ukrainian sources suggest that Foreign Secretary Andrii Sybiha is expected to join Lammy, Kellogg, and representatives from France and Germany in London for talks anticipated to last all day.
The London meetings will focus on defining what a ceasefire could entail and exploring options for sustainable peace. Despite ongoing dialogues from the US over the past three months, substantial progress towards ending the conflict remains elusive.
European officials are under the impression that Moscow is not genuinely inclined to agree to a ceasefire, given that Putin continues to pursue dominance over Ukraine while negotiations with the US are ongoing.
Russia’s demands include Ukraine surrendering full control over four eastern and southern regions that its forces only partially occupy. This includes the Kherson region, which Ukraine re-captured in November 2022, along with the city of Zaporizhzhia—conditions that are fundamentally unacceptable to Kyiv.
Nevertheless, reports from the Financial Times on Tuesday indicated that the Kremlin may be willing to relax its demands during direct discussions with the US and could accept a halt to conflict along the front lines, contingent on US acknowledgment of Russia’s claim over Crimea.
However, Zelenskyy categorically dismissed the notion of recognizing Crimea as Russian land, asserting that such a stance contradicts Ukraine’s constitutional framework. He also noted that any updates on potential peace initiatives had not been formally communicated to Kyiv, and called for discussions to occur through established diplomatic channels rather than media leaks, with the UK, France, and the US involved.
According to the Telegraph, there are claims that Russia might transfer control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility—not to Ukraine, but rather to the US, leaving ambiguity around Kyiv’s potential response.
On Tuesday, Putin expressed a willingness to engage in direct negotiations with Ukraine for the first time since the spring of 2022, foreshadowing discussions that could focus on avoiding attacks on civilian areas, as later confirmed by his spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov.
Following the meetings in London, the US is expected to communicate Ukraine’s response to Putin. Steve Witkoff, an informal envoy linked with Donald Trump, is also scheduled to travel to Moscow later this week. His prior engagement with Putin has raised concerns in Ukraine regarding the possibility of him reinforcing Russian narratives.
Source
www.theguardian.com