Divisions between European countries are preventing them from making timely decisions on the issue of Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. According to him, the lack of a unified position is slowing Europe’s actions.
“All of this is slowing things down. Whether they will find the opportunity and the strength to nevertheless reach some common ground and act quickly – we will see. For now, they have not,” Peskov said, as quoted by RBC.
His statement comes as a European delegation is being prepared to participate in future talks on resolving the conflict in Ukraine. European Council President António Costa said it would include representatives of the institutions of the European Union, as well as of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Poland.
Moscow leaves the possibility of dialogue open
On November 14, Peskov said that Russia would not set conditions regarding the composition of the European negotiating group. He said that Moscow needed to speak with European representatives to determine the extent to which their position could contribute to resolving the conflict.
Earlier, the Kremlin spokesman said that Russia was ready to discuss a settlement in Ukraine with Europe if there were authorized representatives and a genuine willingness to contribute to the peace process. Peskov, however, said that the European negotiators had still not sought contact with the Russian side.
At the same time, Moscow described European messages about a peaceful settlement and preparations for the possible deployment of a military contingent in Ukraine as contradictory. According to the Kremlin, assessing the European countries’ actual intentions will be important for any possible expansion of the negotiating format.
Europe insists on having its own voice
The issue of Europe’s participation came to the fore after the trilateral consultations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States, held in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11. European countries say they must have their own involvement in the talks, rather than merely being informed of their results.
The upcoming format has not yet been finalized. It has been confirmed that the European institutions and five countries are preparing a joint delegation, but no specific date or venue has been announced for the next round of talks.