British, French, and German Ambassadors Meet Russian Foreign Ministry Officials

Ambassadors from Britain, France, and Germany held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and other senior officials at Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday. The meeting followed a weekend summit in London where the three countries' leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. At that London meeting, the E3 leaders agreed that the current line of contact between Russian and Ukrainian forces should serve as a starting point for negotiations, that Ukraine requires legally binding security guarantees including a multinational force deployment, and that frozen Russian assets should remain immobilized until Russia compensates Ukraine for war damages. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had previously characterized the ambassadors as "begging" to meet with Russian officials while expressing skepticism about whether Western leaders could propose constructive solutions. European leaders reportedly hope their unified diplomatic push will encourage U.S. President Donald Trump to join coordinated efforts to pressure Russia into meaningful peace talks, though the Kremlin has dismissed the European Union as a viable mediator.