Russia Sets Conditions for European Role in Ukraine Peace Talks

The Kremlin said on Friday that Europe must demonstrate a genuine readiness to contribute to the Ukraine peace process before any decision is made on allowing Europeans to join negotiations, signaling Russia has not yet committed to their participation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's comments follow US negotiators' Thursday statement that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to European involvement in the next round of talks. The current talks involve Russian, Ukrainian, and US officials, who met in Abu Dhabi this week for the first time in nine months. European participation would mark a new phase in efforts to end the nearly five-year-old conflict, though Russia's relations with European powers remain dire due to sanctions and military support for Ukraine. Peskov declined to comment on specific potential European representatives, including EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.