Closing summary
It’s 9.15pm in Moscow and Kyiv. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
US vice-president JD Vance urged Ukraine and Russia to accept a US-led peace proposal, threatening that Washington would “walk away” if it was not accepted. The US proposal would mean “we’re going to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,” Vance said during a trip to India on Wednesday.
US president Donald Trump lashed out at Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the Ukrainian leader rejected ceding Crimea to Russia as part of a potential peace plan. Trump, in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, said Zelenskyy is prolonging the “killing field” and making statements that are “very harmful” to the peace negotiations. Crimea was lost years ago “and is not even a point of discussion,” the US president said.
Zelenskyy said on Tuesday his country could not accept recognising Crimea as Russian territory. “There is nothing new to mention or discuss. Ukraine will not recognise the occupation of Crimea,” he had said, adding that it would be incompatible with Ukraine’s constitution. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy countered with his own peace proposal.
Ministerial-level Ukraine peace talks that were due to take place in London on Wednesday were postponed at the last minute after the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said he could not attend. UK foreign secretary David Lammy said his discussions with Rubio were productive. The late downgrade came amid speculation that Russia is willing to change its position in separate bilateral peace discussions.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, the foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, and the defence minister, Rustem Umerov instead met with the US envoy, Keith Kellogg, in London. The Ukrainian delegation described the talks as “productive” and “constructive”.
The Kremlin said Russia is engaged in direct talks with the US over the Ukraine war, but that there are no ongoing discussions with Europe or with Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed media reports of what might be in any US-Russian peace proposal, and said there was still a lot to be worked out.
Nine people were reportedly killed on Wednesday morning when a Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets – one of 134 large drones that Ukrainian authorities reported had attacked the country overnight.
Russia has imposed sanctions on 15 UK MPs and six members of the House of Lords, banning them from the country over what it called “hostile statements and unfounded accusations” about Moscow.
Ukraine says it held 'productive' talks with US envoy in London
Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov said the Ukrainian delegation held “productive” talks with the US envoy, Keith Kellogg, in London on Wednesday.
Umerov, in televised comments, said:
We talked about our consistent position regarding a ceasefire, also about security guarantees. For my part, I believe the meeting was very productive and successful.
Separately, Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said that during his meeting with Kellog a “constructive exchange of views on the path to peace” took place. He added:
Ukraine wants the war to end more than anyone else in the world. We are committed to working together to achieve this goal.
Our delegation including @AndriyYermak and @rustem_umerov had a day of active diplomatic work in London.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) April 23, 2025
We had three important meetings: a bilateral meeting between Ukrainian and British foreign and defense ministers @DavidLammy @JohnHealey_MP, a multilateral meeting with… pic.twitter.com/Ea9RUGLJgo
