Russia tells Europe: Yes to talks, no to ultimatums

MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday it was open to dialogue with European countries but would not accept ultimatums, as signs increase that the EU may seek talks with Moscow after largely shunning contacts since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said common sense dictated the need for such contacts because of the “enormous number” of complex issues on the agenda, but he said the Europeans needed to change their approach to Russia.

“The Europeans have a very serious misconception: They assume that negotiations with Russia must be conducted from a position of strength and based on Russia’s weakness. This is the biggest mistake… Such talk will lead nowhere,” he told reporters.

“Does this stem from European incompetence, misinformation, or stupidity? We don’t know for sure, but it’s a fact.”

Putin has said that he is open to talks with European governments but that they should make the first move because they were the ones to cut off ties. The EU has imposed 20 rounds of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

After standing aside for well over a year and leaving it to US President Donald Trump to try to broker an end to the conflict, the EU has started to reach out cautiously to Russia.

The office of European Council President Antonio Costa has made “brief contacts at diplomatic level” with the Kremlin in recent weeks “to open communication channels”, an EU official said on Wednesday.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told the Financial Times in an interview published on Thursday that the EU should take advantage of “momentum” around peace talks in Ukraine to push ahead with efforts to reopen negotiations with Putin.

Peskov said Russia was willing to talk if there was openness on the other side to engage in real dialogue, “not to engage in moralising or, especially, to issue ultimatums”.

Costa’s initiative exposed divisions at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, however, with some saying it had not been coordinated with them and that the EU should focus on putting more pressure on Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukraine says it is turning the tide of the war thanks to an intensified campaign of drone strikes deep inside Russia that has targeted ports, refineries and other key infrastructure. Moscow disputes that, insisting it will keep fighting to achieve its objectives if no diplomatic settlement can be reached.

The governor of the Moscow region said on Friday that an eight-year-old girl had been killed in a massive Ukrainian attack that hit the capital and surrounding area a day earlier. The attack, using hundreds of drones, set fire for the second time in three days to a big oil refinery in southeast Moscow.

“Indeed, drone attacks continue. Appropriate measures are being taken to mitigate the consequences,” Peskov said.

Asked if Putin had seen footage of the burning refinery, Peskov told reporters they should check out images from Ukrainian cities that Russian forces had struck.

“These strikes will continue,” he said.