Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin declined Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s invitation for a direct meeting aimed at halting the conflict.
The ambassadors of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom met at the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow on Thursday, days after a summit in London with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
ADVERTISEMENT 
ADVERTISEMENT
This week, the UK hosted Zelenskyy alongside the leaders of France and Germany, endorsing Kyiv’s appeal for direct negotiations with Russia to conclude over four years of warfare.
The diplomats engaged with Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Galuzin.
“We had a constructive conversation and plan to issue a joint statement later today,” France’s envoy Nicolas de Riviere told journalists outside the ministry.
However, Russia’s foreign ministry press director Maria Zakharova disagreed, accusing the ambassadors of advancing a «dead-end Zelenskyy formula.»
“Through their statements, these countries’ leaders pretend to seek peace, yet they actually impose unacceptable preconditions, boost Kyiv’s access to long-range weaponry, and generally move toward militarizing Ukraine and Europe,” she stated.
Moscow responded by informing the ambassadors about their governments’ «destructive» stance on Ukraine, accusing them of aiming to «prolong the war against Russia on behalf of, and at the cost to,» European states.
This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin declined Zelenskyy’s proposal for an in-person meeting to cease hostilities.
In London, Keir Starmer from the UK, Emmanuel Macron of France, and Friedrich Merz of Germany expressed their support for Zelenskyy’s suggestion, noting that the existing frontlines should serve as a «foundation for negotiations.»
Throughout Moscow’s four-year conflict with Ukraine, European diplomats have seldom engaged directly with Russian officials and have often been called to the foreign ministry.
Several Western European nations, France included, have suggested restarting dialogue with Moscow as a path to ending the Ukraine war, which has become Europe’s most severe conflict since World War II.
Talks led by the US aimed at resolving the war have stalled and lost priority due to the conflict in Iran.
Russia has favored discussions with the US administration under Donald Trump concerning the conflict, showing reluctance toward involving European countries in peace talks.
The UK, France, and Germany have remained among Kyiv’s strongest supporters during Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
Additional sources • AFP