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Moscow has indicated for the first time that it will not oppose the participation of European representatives in the negotiations on Ukraine, thus confirming the possible participation of an EU delegation in the next round of peace talks.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow did not intend to dictate who would represent the EU at the negotiating table, even though he had previously insisted that EU representatives had “no business” there.
“We cannot and do not want to put conditions on their negotiating team. This is a completely wrong way of putting things,” Peskov told local media on Saturday, adding that Moscow should first speak with European representatives to understand “to what extent their position could potentially contribute to the peace process.”
Change in Kremlin rhetoric
This latest statement marks a clear shift in Russia’s tone towards Brussels in recent months.
Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has previously accused Europe of “prolonging the war” and “multiplying the suffering of ordinary people” by supporting kyiv.
On Tuesday, negotiators from the United States, Ukraine and Russia held trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, from which European representatives were excluded.
On Thursday, days later, U.S. envoy Jared Kushner announced that Russia had agreed to expand the next round of negotiations to include European participation.
EU leaders agreed on Friday that Europe would be represented by Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the bloc’s institutions.
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