Kremlin Says Europe Must Prove Intent Before Joining Ukraine Talks

The Kremlin said Friday that Europe must show it is ready to contribute to the peace process before Russia decides whether Europeans can join negotiations on Ukraine, The Moscow Times reported. The comment from spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggests Moscow has not committed to a European role, even though U.S. negotiators said Thursday that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to it.

European involvement would open a new phase in efforts to end a conflict that is nearly five years old and has defied President Donald Trump's attempts to secure a deal.

Washington Says Yes, Moscow Says Not Yet

U.S. envoy Jared Kushner wrote on X that after trilateral talks with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi, he and Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow for direct discussions with Putin, then to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Kushner said both sides had agreed to include the United States' "European partners" in the next round.

Peskov was more cautious. He said a decision on talks in an expanded format would come only once Moscow understands Europe's genuine intentions. He said Russia is open to some form of contact with Europe before any European participation, but that no concrete discussions have taken place.

Asked about French President Emmanuel Macron as a possible interlocutor, Peskov said reports kept naming completely different candidates, so Moscow could not say anything specific. He declined to comment on whether EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas could represent the bloc.

Kallas Pushes Back

Kallas said Friday that it is not up to Russia to decide who represents the EU. In her view, Moscow wants a weak counterpart, saying "They don't want anybody strong on the other side" because it wants to push through its maximum demands.

Relations between Russia and European powers are dire, according to The Moscow Times. European states have armed Ukraine and imposed sanctions, and most have avoided direct contact with Putin since he sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Where the Talks Stand on Territory

The Abu Dhabi meeting was the first in nine months to bring together Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. officials. Russian and Ukrainian officials said some progress was made, but there was no sign of a major breakthrough on key issues such as territory. Newsweek reported that it ended with an agreement on a prisoner of war exchange.

Russia says it wants a full peace settlement rather than a ceasefire. Putin has shown no sign of moderating his territorial demands, which include a buffer zone in parts of Ukraine that Russia has not formally claimed. Ukraine has refused to give up Donbas territory it has not lost in fighting.

After his Moscow meeting, Putin said Russia considers its state border the only clear demarcation line with Ukraine. Under Russian law, the country treats four Ukrainian regions it has illegally annexed, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, as its territory. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said the statement suggests Putin would accept only a settlement giving Russia full control of those regions, which would be unacceptable to Kyiv.

Jacket Gift Claim Withdrawn

A separate story that spread widely this week has been walked back. Russian state news agency Tass reported that Kushner and Witkoff were given puffer jackets marked with the word Russia, like the white one Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev wore when he met them at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. Tass has since deleted the report and replaced it with a notice that the information could not be verified, according to Newsweek.

Newsweek said there is no independent confirmation that any gifts were exchanged. An AI image checker the outlet used gave 99 percent certainty that a viral photo of the envoys holding the jackets had been manipulated.

What It Means for the Next Round of Talks

For now, the practical effect is that the format of any further negotiations is unsettled. Washington says Moscow has accepted a European seat at the table, while the Kremlin ties that step to Europe showing it wants to contribute, and Brussels objects to Russia having a say over its representative.

Russia wants a full settlement rather than a ceasefire, while Ukraine refuses to cede territory in Donbas, and Peskov's answer leaves the timing of any expanded round open.

Earlier on Around Prague: Dmitriev greets US negotiators in a Russian Olympic team jacket

Around Prague, based on reporting by Newsweek, The Moscow Times, primetimer.com

Cover photo: Юрий Д.К. / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped

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