Kremlin Says Moscow Will Not Dictate EU Delegation's Role in Ukraine Talks

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday, 14 November, that Moscow does not want to dictate who will represent the European Union in peace negotiations on the war in Ukraine. It is the first time Russia has signalled it would not oppose European participation, which confirms that an EU delegation may take part in the next round of talks.

"We cannot and do not want to set conditions for their negotiating team. This is a completely wrong way to put it," Peskov told local media. He added that Moscow should first speak with European representatives to understand "to what extent their position could potentially contribute to the peace process".

A shift in Kremlin rhetoric

The statement marks a clear change in Russia's tone towards Brussels over recent months. Moscow had previously insisted that EU representatives had "no business" at the negotiating table. It also accused Europe of "prolonging the war" and "multiplying the suffering of ordinary people" by supporting Kyiv.

What came before

On Tuesday, negotiators from the United States, Ukraine and Russia held trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, from which European representatives were excluded. Two days later, on Thursday, US envoy Jared Kushner announced that Russia had agreed to widen the next round of talks to include European participation.

On Friday, EU leaders agreed that Europe would be represented by Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the bloc's institutions.