Russia Says Europe Only Imitating Readiness for Ukraine Talks

ST. PETERSBURG, June 7. /TASS/. European leaders are currently only imitating their readiness to engage in dialogue with Russia and have not made a single reasonable proposal that could underlie negotiations on Ukraine, Valentina Matviyenko, the Speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian legislature, said in an interview with TASS General Director Andrey Kondrashov at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Currently, the positions of European leaders are changing constantly. Mr. [German Chancellor Friedrich] Merz stated that Ukraine would not be a NATO member, and now discussions are beginning about the need to take Ukraine on board. So what do you want to bring [to the negotiations with Russia]? This is an imitation on their part, an imitation of dialogue. We do not need this imitation," she said.

"We are ready for the dialogue, but only with understanding of the basis of these negotiations," the speaker of the Federation Council noted. Before appointing a negotiator with Russian for the Ukrainian settlement, Europeans need to "draft a peace plan as they see it" and determine whether "compromises are possible under this plan, for instance, to achieve a peace agreement," since the negotiator will represent the position of the European Union and will not have the authority to deviate from it, Matviyenko said.

"So far from Europe - I do not even mention the names [of potential negotiators] because they are laughable, we have not heard a single reasonable proposal that could serve as a basis for such negotiations. Let them make their mind," Matviyenko added.