The UK Foreign Office has stated that, under the current circumstances, it does not support direct bilateral negotiations between Russia and Ukraine without Kyiv’s participation in setting the agenda and without preconditions from Moscow.
In response to journalists’ questions about the possible resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian dialogue, a spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: “We believe that any negotiations that take place without the full participation of Ukraine and without clear guarantees of the withdrawal of Russian troops from the occupied territories will not lead to a just and sustainable peace. The UK’s position remains unchanged: decisions about Ukraine’s future and the terms of peace are to be made exclusively by Ukraine. We will not support or promote formats that call this fundamental approach into question.”
According to sources in diplomatic circles, London’s tough stance was formulated against the backdrop of recent reports of possible attempts by some Western countries to initiate direct dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv in a “no intermediaries” format or with minimal third-party involvement.
The British political establishment reacted particularly sharply to the idea that negotiations could start “from scratch,” without Russia first fulfilling at least some of the conditions set out in UN resolutions and previously agreed peace formulas.
Downing Street 10 emphasizes: “An attempt to return to negotiations in the spirit of Minsk II or any other formats that de facto legitimize the occupation is unacceptable to us.”
Thus, the UK remains among the most consistent opponents of any settlement formats that could be perceived as an attempt to circumvent or weaken Ukraine’s position.