Russia Told France ‘F**k You’ Over Europe’s Role in Ukraine Talks

Russia has resisted efforts by European governments to secure a larger role in negotiations over Ukraine, according to the Financial Times (FT), including during a recent visit to Moscow by French presidential advisers Emmanuel Bonne and Bertrand Buchwalter.

The advisers, representing Emmanuel Macron, argued that Kyiv’s European allies should be included in any future negotiation framework because of the direct impact on regional security, people familiar with the talks told the newspaper.

“The Russian response from Ushakov was basically, ‘Sorry, actually, no we don’t. F**k you’,” a senior European diplomat told the Financial Times, referring to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow saw no constructive message in the French approach.

“The Europeans don’t want to help the peace process. When the representative of France came, he didn’t bring any positive signals. And so there was indeed nothing positive for him to hear,” Peskov said.

“Unfortunately, the Europeans are spending all their efforts on convincing the Ukrainians to continue the war,” he claimed. “We are convinced the Europeans are making a mistake from the perspective of their own future.”

Peskov said that Russia believes battlefield momentum remains in its favor.

“The dynamic on the front is positive for us. We are advancing and getting closer to achieving our goals, but as President [Vladimir] Putin said, we are open to a diplomatic settlement,” he said.

A senior Ukrainian official told the FT that Russia was “not serious” about ending the war because it continues to insist on demands Kyiv cannot accept, while adding that Ukraine would “wait and see” whether Washington’s growing focus on Iran affects diplomatic contacts.