Willem Marks
Appearances
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-22-2025 3PM EDT
An airport spokesperson confirmed Heathrow was, quote, open and fully operational this morning while airlines raced to get stranded passengers whose flights were diverted or cancelled through to their final destinations. The airport added hundreds of additional staff to help 10,000 additional passengers travel through Heathrow from around the world.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-22-2025 3PM EDT
but travellers are still being asked to check their flight status as several routes early Saturday had already been cancelled. The shutdown had initially prompted the counter-terrorism force at London's Metropolitan Police Force to conduct an investigation.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-22-2025 3PM EDT
However, suspicious causes for the fire have been ruled out, leaving UK lawmakers and ministers concerned about the resilience of Britain's critical infrastructure. For NPR News, I'm Willem Marks in London.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
Well, the talks will be hosted by the British Foreign Secretary, David Lamy. They'll include officials from the U.S., Ukraine, France, Germany. The most senior U.S. official attending now will be President Trump's envoy for Ukraine, retired General Keith Kellogg.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
And really at the heart of these talks will be an attempt to knit together the sometimes kind of disparate European and American visions for how a peace roadmap could be built. The Europeans have, for the last couple of months, continued to really insist that support for Ukraine, whether that's military, political or economic,
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
is going to be crucial to ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin is forced to negotiate on more equal terms, shall we say. But members of the US administration have been briefing the media over the past few days that there are now options on the table, at least from their perspective. that would include the recognition by Ukraine of territory currently held by the invaders, Russia.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
Okay, now how have Ukrainians responded to that? Well, not well, as you might imagine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out the possibility that Ukraine would, for instance, recognize, let's say, the Crimean Peninsula or parts of eastern Ukraine as Russian territory. Some of those were first annexed back in 2014.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
But there have also been some pretty surprising recent statements out of Moscow, meanwhile, with President Putin saying on Russian state TV he'd always, quote, looked positively on any peace initiatives and he hoped Ukrainian leaders would do the same.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
The Kremlin's chief spokesperson said those comments from the Russian president indicated a willingness to re-engage in direct talks with Ukraine about, at the very least, ending strikes on civilian targets. Okay, so then what's the United States' role in all of this? Well, you know, the absence of Secretary of State Rubio seems significant.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
Just last week in Paris, he'd said the Americans wanted discussions to move forward within days, otherwise there was a possibility the U.S. would move on. Steve Witkoff, the White House has said, will be travelling to Moscow, not to London this week, for a fourth face-to-face meeting with Putin.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
And meanwhile, President Zelensky said that none of the potential ideas the US administration has been floating in the media have actually been formally shared with him or his team.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
And so it's kind of unclear whether the US is trying to stand between these two warring parties, as the mediator might, or instead to sort of create a peace framework, almost unilaterally, that Russia and Ukraine would be asked to simply accept.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
Well, pretty obscure, frankly. President Putin's called the unilateral temporary ceasefire, you might remember, on Saturday evening for the entirety of the Easter weekend. But Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey told Parliament here in London yesterday that British military intelligence indicated there'd been no let up whatsoever in those attacks over the Easter weekend.
Up First from NPR
Global Economic Forecast Dims, Ukraine Peace Talks, Pope Francis Lies In State
The Ukrainians cried foul and said there had been no ceasefire from Russia. It had simply been a Russian propaganda exercise. All right, that's journalist Bill Marks in London. Thank you very much.