MOSCOW — British, French and German ambassadors met with Russia’s deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin on June 11 to push for direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, conveying leaders’ backing for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal to negotiate an end to more than four years of war.
The envoys relayed the main conclusions of a UK-hosted summit earlier in the week attended by Zelensky and the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, including support for using the current frontline as a starting point for negotiations. Moscow said the meeting had been arranged at the ambassadors’ request.
Russian officials denounced the three countries’ stance as “destructive,” accusing them of seeking to prolong the conflict to Europe’s benefit. President Vladimir Putin rejected Zelensky’s recent offer for a face-to-face meeting.
Western-led efforts, including US initiatives, have so far failed to produce a peace process, and Russia has preferred engaging with the United States under the Trump administration rather than broader European mediation. The UK, France and Germany remain among Kyiv’s strongest supporters during Moscow’s full-scale offensive.