Moscow has signalled for the first time that it would not oppose European representatives taking part in negotiations on Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Russia has no intention of dictating who should represent the EU at the negotiating table.
"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 on Saturday, adding that Moscow should first speak with European representatives to understand "to what extent their position could potentially contribute to the peace process."
The statement marks a clear shift in Russia's tone toward Brussels. Moscow had previously insisted that EU representatives had "no business" in the talks, and has accused Europe of prolonging the war by supporting Kyiv.
EU leaders agreed on Friday, at an informal summit in Dublin, that Europe would be represented by Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the bloc's institutions in future negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Europe must be at the same table as the United States, Ukraine and Russia in the next round, and that Ukraine expects European partners to decide by the end of November who will represent Europe.
The shift follows U.S. envoy Jared Kushner's announcement on Thursday that Russia had agreed to expand the next round of talks to include European participation. But Moscow has not explicitly confirmed the expanded format: presidential aide Yuri Ushakov did not confirm the arrangement, and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the issue was not discussed in President Vladimir Putin's meeting with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Thursday.
The last round of trilateral talks was held in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, with European representatives present only on the sidelines. The next round is expected in the coming week, with Europe now pushing for a seat at the table.
