Moscow seeks dialogue with Europe, backs Middle East peace efforts

Russia has never refused dialogue with other countries, but most often encounters a lack of reciprocity from Europe, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

He noted that it is premature to speak about any shift in the overall European stance toward Russia, even in light of the electoral victory of a coalition linked to Rumen Radev in Bulgaria, who has expressed readiness for pragmatic dialogue with Moscow, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

“I think it is still premature to draw such broad conclusions that the overall European climate will change. We still see statements coming from Brussels of a completely different nature,” Peskov noted.

At the same time, he emphasised that Moscow is encouraged by Radev’s words and those of some other European leaders about the need for a pragmatic dialogue with Russia.

Peskov also stressed the importance of Russia’s role in global energy markets, noting that Russian oil and petroleum product supplies are difficult to ignore, particularly amid current market instability. He was commenting on a US Treasury-issued licence allowing certain transactions involving Russian-origin oil and petroleum products loaded onto tankers before April 17 to continue until May 16.

“Russia remains a responsible and very important player in global energy markets. Markets are currently going through not the best times, and, of course, Russian volumes are very difficult not to take into account and not to consider,” he said.

Regarding the Middle East, Peskov highlighted the fragility and unpredictability of the situation in the region, including the Strait of Hormuz. He said Russia is not currently acting as a mediator in negotiations but is ready to provide any assistance required to achieve a peaceful settlement.

“At the moment, the Russian Federation is not a mediator in the negotiation process. We are, as has been stated repeatedly at various levels, certainly ready to provide any requested assistance to achieve a peaceful settlement and reach an appropriate agreement,” the spokesperson stated.

He expressed hope that negotiations will continue in order to avoid a force-based scenario, warning that such a path could have severe consequences for regional security and the global economy.

“We hope that the negotiation process will continue. And that this will make it possible to avoid further developments along a military scenario: in that case, there could be much more negative consequences both for security in the region and for the global economy,” Peskov added.

By Jeyhun Aghazada