The Russian side explained that the participation of European countries in peace negotiations on Ukraine is complicated by the current political position. This was reported by the press secretary of the President of Russia, Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with the information agency 'Vesti.'
Peskov noted that currently, negotiations are taking place between two leaders on behalf of their respective states. Moreover, according to him, most other leaders, especially Brussels, continue to speak exclusively about how to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. He emphasized that dialogue with such parties is impossible.
As Peskov clarified, only two European leaders—the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre—have decided to conduct direct negotiations with Russia.
The possibility of European representatives joining the negotiations at later stages is not ruled out. Furthermore, the assistant to the President of Russia, Yuri Ushakov, stated that initial meetings should take place in a trilateral format involving Russia, the USA, and Ukraine.
Ushakov added that other venues for negotiations may be found subsequently, as work must first begin in this format, considering the established working contacts with Americans. He also reported that Vladimir Putin is ready to answer a call from Volodymyr Zelensky.
Assistant to the President Yuri Ushakov confirmed that Volodymyr Zelensky expresses a desire to communicate with Putin through various channels and suggested he come to Moscow. Previously, Russia and the USA agreed on plans to hold the next peace talks in Abu Dhabi with the participation of representatives from Russia, Ukraine, and the USA. The meeting is expected to take place in November, although the exact date has not yet been confirmed.
