The UK Foreign Office has confirmed that ministerial-level peace talks on the war in Ukraine with colleagues from the US and Europe, which were due to take place today, have been postponed after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he could not attend, The Guardian reports, UNN writes.
Details
In a brief statement, the British Foreign Office reportedly announced that "ministerial-level meetings scheduled to begin this morning will now not take place and will be replaced by behind-the-scenes discussions by officials", clarifying a carefully worded statement made late in the evening by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
In his social media post shortly before midnight, Lammy said his discussions with Rubio were productive but hinted that they would take place at a slightly lower level. "Negotiations continue apace, and officials will meet in London tomorrow (Wednesday). This is a critical moment for the security of Ukraine, the UK and the Euro-Atlantic region," he wrote.
Britain has paid close attention to the talks, which were also due to be attended by delegations from France and Germany, but the downgrade in discussions came after a leak showed that "Russia is ready to drop its territorial claims to three Ukrainian regions it only partially occupies in exchange for US recognition of the annexation of Crimea," the paper writes.
Rubio noted that he will "postpone his trip to the UK to the coming months".