Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had not received any specific initiatives from the Europeans.
As for any ideas from the Europeans, we have not received them. We don't know anything about them, he told reporters during Friday's conference. His statement was quoted by Reuters.
He added that talks on mutual security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine will not be possible without the participation of European countries at some stage. However, he accused Europe of long-term indecision and lack of agreement as to who would act on its behalf.
What does Europe say about this?
Two weeks ago, the Politico website reported that European countries are analyzing the possibility of appointing a person who would represent them in direct talks with Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine.
Potential candidates include Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Do we know where we stand?
It is not clear how seriously Peskov's Friday words can be taken and what actually lies behind them. Last week, Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov commented on the US-Ukraine-Russia trilateral talks scheduled for November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi. He indicated that there were no plans to invite European countries to participate. He mocked that they could end up in the United Arab Emirates "if they buy tickets."
Also last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that "there is no prospect of an end to the war in Ukraine" and that the conflict is most likely headed for "escalation."
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said that the "resolution" of the war in Ukraine was very close. He stressed that the agreement being reached could cover not only Ukraine, but all of Europe. According to him, achieving it will require extensive involvement of the countries of the Old Continent.
European countries are afraid that the Russians, taking advantage of American favor, will force through solutions that are unfavorable to them. At the end of 2021, even before the outbreak of the war, Moscow demanded, among other things, that the level of military presence on NATO's eastern flank be reduced to the level before 1997.
Today, the Trump administration is limiting some of the sanctions on Russia. Washington has given signals that it is possible to resume operation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. He also reached out for Russian diesel oil.
Europe wants to be at the negotiating table
As for the position of the European Union and most of Ukraine's European allies regarding the end of the war and the post-war security architecture, the situation is as follows: there should be no talks about the future security of Europe without the participation of Europeans. At the same time, there is a principle that Ukraine's future cannot be determined without it.
The EU stands for peace based on the principles of the United Nations Charter. This includes: about:
respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine;
rejection of forceful change of borders;
Ukraine's participation in decisions regarding the terms of the agreement;
a ceasefire as part of a process towards lasting peace, not a solution in itself.
European leaders also emphasize that an agreement concluded under pressure, without guarantees for Kiev, could only postpone the next phase of the conflict. European countries do not rule out talks with Russia. However, they believe that Moscow should first demonstrate readiness for real negotiations, and not use them to impose its own conditions or buy time.
Europe also declares its readiness to co-create security guarantees for Ukraine after the end of the war. As part of the so-called coalition of willing people is considered, among others, sending international forces to the territory of our eastern neighbor.
The last meeting of representatives of the US, Ukraine, NATO and European partners took place recently in Brussels.
