Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin is ready to negotiate with all parties, including European Union countries, but insisted that any move to restart dialogue must come from Brussels.
“Yes, we will be ready to move forward with our dialogue to the extent that the Europeans are ready. But just as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has repeatedly said, given the position taken by the Europeans, we ourselves will not initiate such contacts,” the Kremlin representative emphasised, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.
He also noted that it was the European Union and certain European capitals that initiated the scaling back of relations with Moscow to a minimum.
“The Russian side did not initiate the scaling back of our relations to zero. It was Brussels and certain European capitals that initiated this,” Peskov emphasised.
His comments came after European Council President António Costa said that EU leaders were preparing for possible talks with Putin, signalling tentative movement in Europe’s approach toward Moscow amid strained relations.
Peskov also rejected a report by Der Spiegel claiming that the Kremlin had revoked press credentials for foreign journalists covering the Victory Day parade on May 9.
“No, Spiegel is providing incorrect information. [..] There has not been a single instance where anyone was denied accreditation,” the press secretary noted.
He explained that this year’s parade would be held in a scaled-down format, resulting in a reduced number of accredited journalists.
“The journalists who will be there have been accredited and informed of their accreditation. These are primarily those who will be providing host broadcasting—a large number of people, television professionals, the Kremlin pool, as well as international media outlets that regularly cover the president’s activities in the Russian Federation; they have also received accreditation,” Peskov added.
Earlier reports indicated that Moscow has significantly reduced the scale of its World War II Victory Day parade this year, including fewer military displays and limited foreign press access, amid heightened political tensions with Western countries.
By Sabina Mammadli
