Russia resumes European contacts, meets French, German, British envoys

Russia has resumed diplomatic engagement with European nations, meeting with the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France in Moscow. This marks a significant step in re-establishing contact after a prolonged period of strained relations due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

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To the heads of diplomatic missions, objective assessments were presented of the destructive policies of the leaders of their countries regarding the Ukrainian crisis, aimed at encouraging the Kyiv regime to continue the war against Russia.

During the meeting, which lasted over an hour, the Russian Foreign Ministry presented its "objective assessments" of the "destructive policies" pursued by the leaders of these European countries concerning the Ukraine crisis. Moscow stated its aim was to discourage continued support for Kyiv's war effort against Russia.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Glazunin briefed the Western diplomats on Russia's core principles for achieving a political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict. He stressed Moscow's insistence on addressing the "original causes" of the crisis, which Russia has consistently identified as including the eastward expansion of NATO towards its borders.

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The ambassadors of those countries are asking for a meeting with my deputy foreign minister... I am not very optimistic, but we will listen to them.

This diplomatic outreach follows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's announcement that the ambassadors had requested the meeting. Lavrov expressed skepticism about the potential for constructive dialogue, recalling past "offensive" remarks and personal attacks from these representatives. He also noted that the European Union had missed previous opportunities to genuinely assist in resolving the conflict.

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It will even be curious to see how these people can present something that could lead to constructive ideas.