Russia accuses Britain and France of campaigning to discredit Trump’s Ukraine peace efforts

European intelligence services are fabricating new accusations about alleged ties between US President Donald Trump and Moscow as part of a campaign to undermine his peacemaking efforts, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) stated on April 24.

According to information received, European "warmongers" are conducting a coordinated campaign aimed at disrupting the US leader’s efforts to bring peace, Caliber.Az reports, referring to Russian media.

“British and French intelligence services are actively directing individuals who fled Russia and are now on the verge of survival — so-called ‘seekers of informational dirt’ — to fabricate accusations against members of Trump’s inner circle, claiming covert ties with Russian political and business circles,” the statement said.

The agency added that Paris and London are especially interested in information related to joint projects between American and Russian gas and oil companies.

According to the SVR, these falsifications are intended to be used to weaken US policy and to derail negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

On the same day, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that amid ongoing consultations in London, the US, Europe, and Ukraine are facing difficulties in aligning their positions regarding a settlement to the conflict. He added that Russia, for its part, is engaged in negotiations through various channels, which he described as offering a "different angle" to the process.

Earlier, the foreign ministers of France and Germany postponed a meeting in London that was aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine. It was reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been scheduled to attend the meeting with the foreign ministers, but cancelled his trip following remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding Crimea.

Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine would not recognise Crimea as part of Russia, stressing that such a decision would contradict the Constitution of Ukraine.

By Tamilla Hasanova