Rubio pulls out of London peace talks after Zelensky rejects recognizing occupied Crimea as Russian — NYT

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declined to participate in Ukraine ceasefire talks scheduled for April 23 in London, The New York Times reported.

Rubio’s decision came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine “will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea” — a stance that, as The New York Times noted, runs counter to one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s key proposals for a peace deal.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce initially said Rubio would attend the meeting because “London has potential,” but later announced that he would not travel to the talks due to “logistical issues in his schedule.”

Several Western media outlets have reported that the United States is prepared to consider recognizing Crimea as Russian as part of a broader peace agreement. U.S. officials reportedly conveyed this to Ukrainian representatives during talks in Paris on April 17. The American proposal is also said to include Ukraine abandoning its bid to join NATO and transferring control of the area near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to the United States. Axios reported on April 22 that this is Washington’s “final offer.”

Trump has said he hopes Russia and Ukraine will “make a deal this week.” According to Axios, Trump has also suggested the United States could exit the talks if no progress is made. After the Paris meetings, Rubio said the U.S. had no intention of negotiating “for weeks and months on end.”