MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday it was open to dialogue with European countries but would not accept ultimatums, as signs increase that the EU may seek talks with Moscow after largely shunning contacts since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said common sense dictated the need for such contacts because of the “enormous number” of complex issues on the agenda, but he said the Europeans needed to change their approach to Russia.
“The Europeans have a very serious misconception: They assume that negotiations with Russia must be conducted from a position of strength and based on Russia’s weakness. This is the biggest mistake... Such talk will lead nowhere,” he told reporters.
“Does this stem from European incompetence, misinformation, or stupidity? We don’t know for sure, but it’s a fact.”
Putin has said that he is open to talks with European governments but that they should make the first move because they were the ones to cut off ties. The EU has imposed 20 rounds of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
After standing aside for well over a year and leaving it to US President Donald Trump to try to broker an end to the conflict, the EU has started to reach out cautiously to Russia.
The office of European Council President Antonio Costa has made “brief contacts at diplomatic level” with the Kremlin in recent weeks “to open communication channels”, an EU official said on Wednesday.
