Russia signals readiness for Ukraine negotiations – deputy FM

Russia remains open to negotiations on Ukraine, and the US administration, despite being engaged in other diplomatic priorities, continues to maintain a willingness for dialogue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

“We are open to negotiations, but there is a negotiation track, and this track functioned until recently in a ‘Russia–US–Ukraine’ format,” the diplomat noted.

“We see that, despite the heavy workload of American negotiators today, primarily focused on the Middle Eastern crisis, the US administration maintains its readiness to assist in finding a political and diplomatic settlement [to the Ukraine conflict] through trilateral talks. (…) We see this, and we appreciate it,” the deputy foreign minister added.

Meanwhile, Europe’s three major powers — Germany, France, and the United Kingdom — are coordinating with Kyiv on establishing a potential backchannel for talks with Russia aimed at ending the war. The initiative is driven by the view that shifting dynamics on the battlefield are improving Ukraine’s negotiating position.

By Jeyhun Aghazada