U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance warned Wednesday (April 23, 2025) that the United States would “walk away” unless Russia and Ukraine agree a peace deal, as envoys from Washington, Kyiv and European nations gathered for downgraded talks in Britain.

“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say ‘yes’, or for the United States to walk away from this process,” Mr. Vance told reporters in India.

U.S. media reported that President Donald Trump was ready to accept recognition of annexed land in Crimea as Russian territory, and Mr. Vance said land swaps would be fundamental to any deal.

“That means the Ukrainians and the Russians are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own,” he added.

The reports said the proposal was first raised at a meeting with European nations in Paris last week.

The latest round of diplomacy comes amid a fresh wave of Russian air strikes that shattered a brief Easter truce.

A Russian drone strike on a bus transporting workers in the southeastern city of Marganets killed nine people and wounded at least 30 more, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor said Wednesday (April 23, 2025).

Ukrainian authorities also reported strikes in the regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava and Odesa.

In Russia, one person was reported wounded by shelling in the Belgorod region.

‘Work for peace’

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy had been due to lead a meeting of Foreign Ministers in London on Wednesday (April 23, 2025), but his Ministry said the talks had been downgraded, a sign of the difficulties surrounding the negotiations.

“The Ukraine Peace Talks meeting with Foreign Ministers today is being postponed. Official-level talks will continue,” the Foreign Office said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “as far as we understand, it has not yet been possible to reconcile positions on any issues, which is why this meeting did not take place”.

U.S. Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg is still expected to attend, along with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he had arrived in London with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, who is “likely” to meet Mr. Lammy.

“Despite everything, we will work for peace,” Mr. Yermak wrote on Telegram.

A Ukraine presidency source later told AFP that the delegation would meet with Mr. Kellogg, and that “there will be more meetings with Europeans, different meetings”.

U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is to visit Moscow this week.

According to The Financial Times, President Vladimir Putin told Mr. Witkoff he was prepared to halt the invasion and freeze the current front line if Russia’s sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014, was recognised.

Mr. Peskov responded by saying that “a lot of fakes are being published at the moment”, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

Mr. Zelenskyy said Tuesday (April 22, 2025) that his country would be ready for direct talks with Russia only after a ceasefire, though the Kremlin has said it cannot rush into a ceasefire deal.

Mr. Trump promised on the campaign trail to strike a deal between Moscow and Kyiv in 24 hours but has since failed to secure concessions from Putin to halt his troops in Ukraine.

He said at the weekend he hoped an agreement could be struck “this week”.

Trump ‘frustrated’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had presented a U.S. plan to end the war and discussed it with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during a phone conversation after the Paris meeting last week.

Both Mr. Rubio and Mr. Trump have warned since that the United States could walk away from peace talks unless it saw quick progress.

Mr. Trump “wants to see this war end… and he has grown frustrated with both sides of this war, and he’s made that very known”, his spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday (April 22, 2025).

Mr. Rubio had said in Paris he would go to London if he thought his attendance could be useful.

But Mr. Lammy wrote on X late Tuesday (April 22, 2025) that he had instead had a “productive call” with Mr. Rubio.

Mr. Trump proposed an unconditional ceasefire in March, the principle of which was accepted by Kyiv but rejected by Mr. Putin.

The White House welcomed a separate agreement by both sides to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days, but the Kremlin has said it considers that moratorium to have expired.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, left, prays in front of the body of Pope Francis laid out in state inside his private chapel at the Vatican.
| Photo Credit: AP

Pope Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday (April 26, 2025), as many world leaders will attend to honour the Catholic leader. The Argentine pontiff, 88, died on Monday (April 21, 2025) after a stroke, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia.

Here’s what we know about the funeral of Pope Francis.

When is the funeral of Pope Francis?

Pope Francis’ funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place at 10:00 am local time (1.30 pm IST) on April 26. The funeral date was set by cardinals meeting in a so-called “general congregation”, the first of a series of meetings which will culminate in a conclave within three weeks, where a new pope will be elected.

Also read | Many firsts of Pope Francis

Where will the funeral of Pope Francis be held?

The funeral of Pope Francis will be held in the majestic Baroque plaza in front of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, six days after his death.

Where will Pope Francis be buried?

Pope Francis has asked to be buried in St Mary Major, a Roman basilica he was particularly attached to, rather than St Peter’s like many of his predecessors, with a simple inscription of his name in Latin, Franciscus. In his will, Pope Francis called for his tomb to be “in the ground; simple, without particular decoration, and with the sole inscription: Franciscus,’’ or Latin for Francis.

Where is Pope Francis’ body now?

Pope Francis is currently lying in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household. His body, lying in an open casket, will be taken from the chapel of the Vatican residence where he lived to St Peter’s, entering through the central door, in a grand procession on April 23, with cardinals and Latin chants. His body will lie in state for three days.

Once in St. Peter’s, his casket will not be put on an elevated bier — as was the case with past popes — but will just be placed simply facing the pews, with the Paschal candle nearby. Tens of thousands of mourners are expected to pay their respects to Pope Francis as he lies in state in St. Peter’s Basilica.

People gather in St Peter’s Square on the day of the translation of Pope Francis’ body, which will be transported inside the Basilica, at the Vatican.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

Who will attend Pope Francis’ funeral?

Numerous world leaders have announced they will travel to Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, which is expected to draw a huge crowd in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, will attend. Mr. Trump said in a social media post: “We look forward to being there!”

President Javier Milei of Argentina, where the pope was born in 1936, will attend, his office said. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will attend with his wife Janja, his government said.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres will attend the funeral, his office said.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attend, and Prince William will also go to represent the head of state, King Charles III.

French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ireland’s President Michael Higgins, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever, and Hungary’s President Tamas Sulyok will also attend the funeral among other European leaders.

From India, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has announced that Minister for Minorities Welfare and Non Resident Tamils Welfare S.M. Nasar, along with DMK MLA from Tiruchi (East) Inigo.S. Irudayaraj, will attend the funeral service of Pope Francis, on behalf of Tamil Nadu government.

Who won’t attend Pope Francis’ funeral?

Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over his invasion of Ukraine, will not attend the funeral of Pope Francis, the Kremlin said.

The Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima — who also has Argentine nationality — will not make the trip due to the king’s birthday celebrations despite being “deeply moved” by Francis’s passing, the royal family said.

When will the next successor of Pope Francis be decided?

The cardinals haven’t set a date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor, but the current norms suggest it cannot begin before May 6. There is no clear frontrunner to succeed Francis, although British bookmakers have singled out Luis Antonio Tagle, a reformer from the Philippines, and Pietro Parolin, from Italy, as early favourites.

In the meantime, in the period known as the “sede vacante” (vacant seat) for the global Catholic Church, a cardinal known as the camerlengo (chamberlain), Irish-American Kevin Farrell, is in charge of ordinary affairs. Three cardinals were chosen to help the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, administer the Vatican during the “interregnum” period before the election of a new pope.