Russian invasion Negotiations

Spokesperson: Rubio not going to peace talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has changed his plans and will no longer travel to London for Wednesday's peace talks with Ukraine, Britain and France, a spokesman said, according to Reuters.

The previous plan was for all the countries' foreign ministers to attend the talks. Why Rubio is skipping the meeting is currently unclear.

Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, will attend on behalf of the US.

Zelenskyj: Can talk directly with Kremlin in case of ceasefire

Ukraine is ready to hold direct talks with Russia if a ceasefire is reached, President Zelenskyj said, according to Reuters.

The Ukrainian delegation that is to meet Western representatives in London tomorrow also has a mandate to discuss a full or partial ceasefire, he said.

– It will not be possible to quickly agree on everything, he adds.

Earlier on Tuesday, Putin also opened up to holding direct talks with Ukraine for the first time since the early stages of the war, according to the BBC.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin is willing to discuss a pause in attacks on civilian targets.

Sources: Putin opens to freeze invasion at current front lines

Vladimir Putin opens to freeze the invasion of Ukraine at the current front lines as part of a peace agreement with Ukraine and the United States, sources tell the Financial Times.

Putin is said to have expressed a willingness to give up his claim to parts of the four partially occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

The message is said to have been given in meetings with US envoy Steve Witkoff during meetings in St. Petersburg earlier in April. The US has since opened to recognize the annexed Crimean peninsula as Russian territory.

However, European officials warn that Putin could use apparent concessions to trick Trump into accepting Russia's other demands and forcing them on Ukraine.