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April 23, 2025

Ukraine Ceasefire Talks Collapse as Marco Rubio Pulls Out
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Top diplomats from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United
States have postponed a high-level meeting with Ukrainian diplomats in
London, after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would skip the
talks. The diplomats were set to discuss the framework of a
U.S.-proposed ceasefire deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine. The
meeting's abrupt cancellation came as a Russian drone struck a bus in
the city of Marhanets, killing nine people and injuring 42 others. On
Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out any ceasefire
deal that recognizes Russia's annexation of Crimea, the Black Sea
peninsula Russia invaded in 2014.

President Volodymyr Zelensky: "Ukraine does not legally recognize the
occupation of Crimea. There is nothing to talk about. This is beyond our
Constitution. It's our territory, the territory of the people of
Ukraine. … As soon as we start talking about Crimea, about our sovereign
territories, we enter a format that Russia wants, which is to drag out
the war."

Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports the Trump administration is
working to eliminate programs aimed at holding Russia and its leaders
and allies accountable for alleged war crimes, including intelligence
gathering on Russian atrocities committed in Ukraine.


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