Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin met the ambassadors of France, Germany, and the UK in Moscow on June 11 amid a push for a ceasefire in the Russia–Ukraine war.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that British diplomat Nigel Casey, France’s Nicolas de Rivière, and Germany’s Alexander Graf Lambsdorff requested the meeting.
The ministry said Galuzin presented the diplomats with “an objective assessment of the destructive policy pursued by their countries’ leaderships regarding the Ukrainian crisis, which is aimed at maximally encouraging the Kyiv regime to continue the war against Russia on behalf of, at the expense of, and with the direct assistance of the Western ‘coalition of the willing.'”
De Rivière told reporters outside the ministry building that the three diplomats had a “good discussion” with Galuzin and would release a statement later.
The ambassadors represent the nations that make up an informal security alliance known as the E3, which is one of Ukraine’s main backers in its war with Russia, now in its fifth year.
The E3 heads of government on June 7 met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London, where they backed the Ukrainian president’s calls for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a joint statement after meeting with Zelenskyy on June 7, saying that any effort to reach a ceasefire deal with Russia should involve Europe and the United States.
Other conditions discussed included legally binding security guarantees once the ceasefire is in place, including the deployment of a multinational force. The four also agreed that Russian financial assets would remain frozen until Moscow compensates Ukraine for the damage caused during the war.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 6, Putin said he saw “no point” in meeting the Ukrainian leader until a long-term deal is reached.
Meloni Calls for Single EU Voice
On June 11, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a strong supporter of Ukraine, said that European interests should not be represented by a narrow format of only a few nations, calling for a single representative for the entire European Union to talk with Russia.
“I have long supported the need to identify an authoritative figure, entrusted with the confidence and mandate of all member states to represent Europe,” she told the Italian Parliament ahead of an EU summit and a meeting of leaders of the G7 June 15 to June 17.
Meloni also said that peace negotiation efforts needed the cooperation of the United States and Europe.
Putin has maintained his stance on the war, but he suggested last week that U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposals for peace could help end the conflict.
The Russian president told reporters in St. Petersburg on June 4 that he was willing to talk to European politicians but that they are not in a position to broker a peace deal given their support for Ukraine.
“What kind of mediator can the European Union or individual EU countries be when they directly assist a country with which we are in armed conflict?” Putin said.
Russia in ‘Constant Contact’ with United States
Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s special envoy for foreign investments and economic cooperation, said during an interview with German newspaper Berliner Zeitung that he is in “constant contact” with U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
“We have spoken several times this week, and at some point, we expect something to happen,” he said during the interview, published on June 11.
When asked when they are likely to meet again, Dmitriev said, “I don’t want to give any specific dates, but a regular meeting will take place in June.”
He said that the meeting will focus on economic issues and on bilateral economic cooperation with the United States.
“Ukraine is one of the issues, but our main focus is on the relationship between the United States and Russia,” Dmitriev said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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