US secretary of state Marco Rubio skipped a Berlin Format meeting on Ukraine on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Financial Times reported.
He had been expected to join leaders from nearly a dozen European countries, including Germany, Poland and Finland, as well as officials from the European Commission and Nato, but cancelled at the last minute, citing scheduling conflicts.
He was, however, set to meet Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.
The Ukrainian president, meanwhile, agreed to hold elections if Donald Trump managed to push Vladimir Putin to a ceasefire.
In an interview with Politico on Friday, Zelensky said elections would be a “great idea”. Conducting the elections would require not “necessarily an end to the war”, he added, but a ceasefire for two or three months.
His comments came after Trump warned Zelensky that he was “going to have to get moving” if he wanted to reach a peace deal with Moscow.
The next round of trilateral talks will be held in Geneva next week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
ICYMI: Zelensky says he would hold an election if there was a ‘two- or three-month ceasefire’
Volodymyr Zelensky has offered to hold an election if there is a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
In an interview with Politico at the Munich Security Conference, the Ukrainian president called for Donald Trump to ramp up its pressure on Russia, and said he would hold elections if Trump successfully pushed Vladimir Putin to a two- or three-month ceasefire.
When asked about whether there was any process in talks and whether Ukraine would hold an election this Summer, Trump said on Friday Zelensky better “get moving” if he wanted a peace agreement.
“He said something to me?” Zelensky responded in the interview, adding that it would be a “great idea” to hold elections.”
Zelensky said there would only be elections “when the war stops”, which wouldn’t require “necessarily an end to the war,” but that would need a ceasefire.
He said separately on Friday that Trump wanted to agree to a peace deal “all at once”, as he “like things in one big package,” like he did with his “one, big, beautiful bill”.
Trump wants peace deal ‘in one big package’ like the ‘one, big, beautiful bill’
Volodymyr Zelensky said Donald Trump wanted to agree to a peace deal “all at once”, as he “like things in one big package,” like he did with his “one, big, beautiful bill”.
His comments, which were reported by The Guardian, come after the US president warned Zelensky he was “going to have to get moving” if he wanted to reach a peace agreement with Russia.
But speaking from the Munich Security Conference, the Ukrainian president said that the process of talks was important as it needed to provide Ukraine with genuine reassurance, the newspaper reported.
Video: Zelensky slams Olympics officials after Ukrainian disqualified over war memorial helmet
Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back on the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to disqualify Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing in the Winter Olympics.
Heraskevych was disqualified from competing in the skeleton heaton Thursday (12 February) for wearing a helmet honouring Ukrainian athletes who died during the ongoing war with Russia.
The IOC reiterated to Heraskevych and the Ukrainian delegation that his helmet violated rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter, which states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
Supporting Heraskevych, the Ukrainian president said, “It is not politics to speak about what is actually happening.”
Zelensky slams Olympics officials for disqualifying Ukrainian athlete
Rubio skips Ukraine meeting with European leaders at Munich conference
US secretary of state Marco Rubio skipped a Berlin Format meeting on Ukraine held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, according to the Financial Times.
Rubio had been expected to join leaders from around a dozen European countries, including Germany, Poland and Finland, as well as officials from the European Commission and Nato. The newspaper reported that he cancelled at the last minute, citing scheduling conflicts.
“The secretary won’t be attending the Berlin Format meeting on Ukraine given the number of meetings he has happening at the same time,” a US official told the Financial Times. “He’s engaging on Russia-Ukraine in many of his meetings here in Munich.”
One European official described the cancellation as “insane”, while another told the newspaper that without US participation the meeting lacked substance.
The reported decision comes amid broader strains in the transatlantic relationship and concerns in some European capitals that Washington may be recalibrating its approach to the war.
Rubio separately met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Munich to discuss Ukraine, negotiations with Russia and continued support for Kyiv, including military aid. After the meeting, Rubio wrote on X that they discussed “our shared efforts to secure supply chains, advance efforts to end the Russia–Ukraine war, and strengthen the partnership between the United States and Europe.”
Zelensky slams ‘utterly stupid idea’ he would announce elections on anniversary of Putin’s invasion
Reports citing Ukrainian and European officials claimed the president intended to announce the plans on 24 February, after the Trump administration issued a June deadline for a finalised peace agreement.
But, without ruling out an announcement at some point, Ukraine’s leader has pushed back on the date itself.
Read more:
Geneva talks come as US pushes for progress and war nears four-year mark
The latest round of US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva comes as Washington increases pressure for movement towards a deal and the war approaches its fourth year.
Ukrainian officials have said the United States has urged both sides to make progress in the coming months, with president Donald Trump publicly pushing for an agreement to end Moscow’s invasion. The new discussions follow two earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi that reportedly focused on military issues such as ceasefire monitoring and possible buffer zones.
The timing is also notable as fighting continues along the roughly 1,200km front line, with Russia maintaining strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and Kyiv carrying out long-range attacks on military and energy-related targets.
No significant compromise on territory has been signalled, particularly over the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which remains a central point of disagreement.
Separate Iran and Ukraine-Russia talks set for Tuesday in Geneva
Two sets of diplomatic talks – on Iran and on the war in Ukraine – are expected to take place in Geneva on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report quoting a source briefed on the matter.
A US delegation including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner is set to meet Iranian officials on Tuesday morning, the source said. Representatives from Oman will be present to mediate the US-Iran contacts.
Witkoff and Kushner are then expected to take part in trilateral talks in the afternoon with representatives from Russia and Ukraine, the source added.
President Donald Trump has been increasing pressure on Iran following its crackdown on protesters and has expanded the US naval presence in the region. He is also seeking to push Kyiv and Moscow towards an agreement to end Russia’s four-year invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian missile attack kills two, injures five in Russia’s Belgorod, governor says
A Ukrainian missile attack killed two people and injured five on Friday in the Russian city of Belgorod near the border, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Mr Gladkov, speaking in a video posted on Telegram, said the men were members of crews restoring damaged heating and electricity networks the city.
Restoration work will resume on Saturday as it was too dangerous for crews to be operating at night, Mr Gladkov said.
Mr Gladkov had earlier said that the attack caused serious damage to energy facilities, and that electricity, heating and water supplies were cut. Three apartment buildings in the city sustained damage.
The unofficial SHOT Telegram channel said residents reported a series of loud explosions in the city and air defences were in operation.
Belgorod, about 40km (25 miles) from the border, has come under requent attack from Ukrainian forces.
Starmer joins Ukraine talks with Rubio and Zelensky at security summit
Sir Keir Starmer met the Ukrainian president and European leaders at a major defence summit.
Efforts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia are high on the agenda at the Munich Security Conference as the four-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion nears.
The future of transatlantic ties is also the focus of discussions as Europe grapples with antagonism from Donald Trump’s White House.
The US delegation is being led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who pointed to a “new era in geopolitics” before his arrival.
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Source: independent.co.uk