The United States will no longer act as a mediator in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. That’s according to the State Department which has confirmed, signalling a shift in Washington’s role in the ongoing conflict.

According to Yahoo News, Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the department, said the US is changing “the methodology of how we contribute” to the talks and will no longer “fly around the world at the drop of a hat” for meetings.

“We will continue to help, but we will no longer fly around the world as mediators in meetings,” Ms Bruce told reporters. “Now it is up to the two sides, the time has come when they must present and develop concrete ideas on how to end this conflict. It will be up to them.”

Speaking to Fox News, Mr Vance said President Trump had brought both sides to the negotiating table, but that the US would no longer lead efforts to mediate peace.

“It’s not going anywhere… it’s not going to end any time soon,” he said. “It would now be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict.”

The comments come as the Kremlin expressed willingness for direct talks, but rejected a recent US peace proposal on the grounds that it did not grant international recognition to territory seized by Russian forces.

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