Moscow says it will not dictate EU delegation's participation in Ukraine talks
Moscow, which had previously insisted that European representatives had no place at the negotiating table, has now softened its stance.
Moscow has for the first time indicated it would not block European representatives from participating in upcoming talks on Ukraine, confirming the potential inclusion of an EU delegation in the peace negotiations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared Moscow had no aim to dictate who should speak for the EU at the bargaining table, despite previously stating that EU delegates had no business there.
"We cannot and do not want to set conditions for their negotiating team," Peskov told local media on Saturday, emphasizing that Moscow should first converse with European representatives to assess how their perspective could potentially aid the peace process. This shift in Russia's stance towards Brussels contrasts with its previous accusations that Europe was prolonging the war and exacerbating the plight of ordinary Ukrainians by backing Kyiv.
On Tuesday, representatives from the United States, Ukraine, and Russia engaged in trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, where European delegates were not present. A day later, on Thursday, U.S. envoy Jared Kushner announced Russia's agreement to broaden the next round of discussions to incorporate European participation. EU leaders affirmed on Friday that Europe would be represented by Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the bloc's institutions in the forthcoming negotiations.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
