British, French, and German Ambassadors Meet Russian Foreign Ministry Officials
The ambassadors of Britain, France, and Germany met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on June 11, days after a London summit where E3 leaders backed Ukraine's call for direct peace talks. The meeting, held at the Stalinist-era Foreign Ministry building on Smolenskaya Square, is notable as direct contact between Western diplomats and senior Russian officials has become rare since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The talks signal a more active European diplomatic push to end the war, though Russia publicly dismissed the envoys' countries as pursuing a 'destructive policy' and rejected their framing of peace conditions.
British Ambassador Nigel Casey, French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere, and German Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in Moscow on June 11, 2026, in one of the most significant direct diplomatic contacts between Western and Russian officials since the invasion began. The meeting followed a June 7 London summit where UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, backing a ceasefire along current front lines, security guarantees for Ukraine, and the retention of frozen Russian assets until Moscow compensates Kyiv for war damages. In a joint statement after the Moscow meeting, the three ambassadors said they had outlined E3 support for direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations with U.S. and European participation, and condemned Russia's recent military escalation and disinformation campaigns. Russia's response was sharply negative: the Foreign Ministry said Galuzin presented the envoys with an assessment of their countries' 'destructive policies,' and spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused them of promoting a 'dead-end Zelensky formula.' Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov had earlier claimed the ambassadors had been 'begging' for the meeting, while the Kremlin continues to prefer engaging the Trump administration over European powers, whom it labels direct participants in the conflict. European Commission officials said they see no signs Russia is open to a just and lasting peace, and some EU member states, such as Lithuania, have warned that bilateral European outreach to Moscow risks undermining unity. U.S.-led peace efforts have stalled, partly due to Washington's focus on the Iran conflict.
What's missing
The specific content of any written or verbal response the Russian side provided to the ambassadors beyond public statements is not disclosed.
How coverage differed
The Moscow Times highlighted Lavrov's claim that the ambassadors were 'begging' for the meeting and emphasized European hopes of drawing Trump into a coordinated pressure campaign on Moscow, lending slightly more weight to the Russian narrative framing. The Kyiv Independent and Euronews gave more prominence to the joint ambassadorial statement condemning Russian escalation and disinformation, and included skeptical voices from within Europe, such as Lithuania's foreign minister, about the risks of engaging Russia outside EU frameworks.
What different sources said
- The Moscow TimesCenter
Ambassadors of Britain, France and Germany Hold Talks With Senior Russian Diplomats
- The Straits TimesCenter
Russia says French, German and British ambassadors attend meeting at foreign ministry
- Kyiv IndependentCenter
UK, German, French envoys meet Lavrov's deputy in Moscow amid E3 peace push
- EuronewsCenter
German, French and UK envoys meet Lavrov's deputy in Moscow amid E3 peace push
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