Putin Ready for Talks With Europe but Won’t Make the First Move, Kremlin Says

The Kremlin claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to negotiations with European countries but will not be the first to restart diplomatic contacts after relations collapsed following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was “ready for talks with everyone” but argued that Russia was not responsible for reducing ties with Europe “to zero.”

“The initiator was Brussels and individual European capitals,” Peskov said. “We are ready to move forward in dialogue to the extent that Europeans are ready. But after the position European countries took, we will not initiate such contacts ourselves.”

The comments come amid continuing deadlock over potential peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and growing tensions between Moscow and European governments over sanctions, military aid to Kyiv, and security in Europe.

Peskov’s remarks were made one day after Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow saw “no point” in another round of trilateral peace talks unless Ukraine withdrew its troops from the Donbas.

The latest statements, if sincere, mark a potential reversal from Moscow’s earlier hardline stance in March, in which Ushakov brushed off Europe’s attempt to participate in talks on Ukraine, which a senior European diplomat at the time described as a “F**k you” to Europe.

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Moscow’s shifting tone follows its first territorial losses since 2024, compounded by five months of heavy manpower attrition and reportedly falling oil revenues due to Ukrainian strikes. Reports also suggest Kremlin officials are preparing a narrative shift for the masses to justify a peace deal that fails to meet their stated war goals.

Earlier on Friday, European Council President António Costa said that the European Union sees “potential” for future negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Costa said the bloc is preparing for possible talks and has the support of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Yes, it’s a potential [to negotiate with Putin],” Costa said. “[But] for the time being, nobody has seen any sign from Russia that they want effectively to engage in serious negotiations.”

EU explores role in negotiations

Costa said he is consulting with leaders of all 27 EU member states to determine how the bloc could organize itself for potential talks with Russia.

“I’m talking with the 27 national leaders to see the best way to organize ourselves and to identify what we need effectively to discuss with Russia,” he said.

He added that Zelensky had encouraged the EU to be ready to contribute to future negotiations.

The comments come amid growing concern in European capitals that US-led negotiations have made little progress, raising fears that the EU could be sidelined in any potential deal.

Despite this, Costa said the EU would avoid interfering with the process led by US President Donald Trump.

Russia has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine recognize Moscow’s control over occupied territories as part of any future settlement, conditions Kyiv has rejected.