Kremlin says Europe “cannot be mediator” in Ukraine war

The Kremlin has ruled out Europe acting as a mediator in any future settlement of the war in Ukraine, arguing that European states are effectively “a party to the conflict”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said European countries could not claim neutrality while continuing to supply weapons to Kyiv.

“At the moment, Europe is a party to the conflict on Ukraine’s side,” he said, according to Russian state news agency TASS. “European weapons are directly firing at us, and it is impossible to ignore this. Therefore, in such a status, Europe cannot in any way claim to be a mediator.”

At the same time, Peskov said that the very fact that discussions are taking place within the European Union about possible contacts with Moscow is a positive signal. “This fact itself is positive. It should be welcomed,” he said, adding that without dialogue, it is impossible to solve existing problems.

The press secretary also criticised Brussels’ policies, stating that the refusal to maintain contact with Russia has been one of the reasons for the current diplomatic deadlock.

“The biggest stupidity that Europeans and people in Brussels are making is completely refusing any dialogue with Russia,” the Kremlin representative said. “But solving and discussing problems without dialogue is impossible. This is the main root cause of the deadlock in relations we have entered,” Peskov added.

Separately, he commented on Hungary’s position regarding arms supplies to Ukraine, calling its decision not to participate in military support for Kyiv a step that contributes to de-escalation. According to Peskov, peace would come sooner if other countries followed such an example.

In addition, the Kremlin spokesman expressed support for the expansion of the Eurasian Economic Union. He noted that EAEU countries welcome Uzbekistan’s interest in closer integration and view it as a mutually beneficial process capable of bringing economic dividends to all members of the bloc.

“Of course, we are interested in neighbouring partner countries joining and showing interest in this integration. Therefore, all member states certainly welcome Uzbekistan’s interest,” he said.

Peskov also stressed that relations between Russia and Uzbekistan remain friendly and are based on developed political, economic, and humanitarian cooperation.

“Our leaders—Putin and Mirziyoyev—have very close, friendly relations, which allows them to work productively for the benefit of the peoples of our two countries. Uzbekistan is a very close partner of ours. We are developing very rich relations in content, primarily economic cooperation, trade and investment, and humanitarian ties, which have very deep historical roots,” the Kremlin representative noted.