London talks end without Ukraine war peace deal as Zelensky admits emotions have run high over US bid to recognize Crimea as Russian

WASHINGTON — London discussions between the US, United Kingdom, Ukraine, France and Germany ended Wednesday without agreement on the terms of a potential peace deal — but with promises to keep talking, as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky again insisted ceding Crimea to Russia was a non-starter.“We reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to peace efforts led by US President Donald Trump and our willingness to move forward toward a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace,” Kyiv Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha posted to X after the meetings broke up.“We will continue our regular dialogue.”The suggestion that talks will keep going comes after the Trump administration threatened to abandon US efforts to facilitate negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, the latter of which has refused to agree to the president’s proposed cease-fire for more than a month.The White House affirmed that US involvement in the talks would not end Wednesday, despite the earlier threats.“Not by the end of the day today,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters when asked whether Trump would be willing to walk away, “but the president has maintained that his frustration is growing and he needs to see this thing come to an end.”While expressing openness to further talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made clear that Kyiv will not consider any proposals that involve the recognition of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula as sovereign Russian land, noting that “emotions have run high today” over the US’ suggestion to do so.“Ukraine will always act in accordance with its Constitution and we are absolutely sure that our partners in particular the USA will act in line with its strong decisions,” Zelensky posted to X, referencing Kyiv’s post-Soviet founding document that bars the recognition of any part of its territory as Russian.Still, the Ukraine president said all participants in the Wednesday discussions “expressed their views and ...