Russia denies any agreement to include European states in Ukraine talks
The Russian Foreign Ministry says talks with US envoys in Moscow did not cover bringing European countries into negotiations.
Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has no information about any agreement with the United States to involve European countries in talks to end the war in Ukraine.
“As far as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is informed, this issue was not discussed during the talks with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow,” the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
Diplomatic claims clash over who will sit at the table
Earlier, European Council President António Costa said Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Poland, together with EU institutions, would represent Europe in potential peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
“We welcome any diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing Russia to the negotiating table. We hope this will yield concrete results,” Costa said at an informal EU leaders’ meeting in Dublin.
U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner said last night after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin that Russia and Ukraine had agreed the next round of negotiations would include European countries.
The Russian denial and the statements by EU and U.S. officials underline ongoing uncertainty about the format and participants in any future talks aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.
Photo: press material from the event
