The Kremlin on Wednesday cast doubt on Europe's willingness to engage in talks on ending the war in Ukraine and restoring relations with Russia.
"First of all, we need to be sure that there is a desire on Europe's part to conduct a dialogue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the prospects for possible negotiations.
While there had been some indications of interest, they were contradictory, Peskov said, referring to a dispute in Brussels over contacts between European Council President António Costa and Moscow.
It emerged last week that Costa's office had reached out to Moscow in an effort to open lines of communication for possible future negotiations. Among those expressing irritation was the German government, which said the initiative had not been coordinated in advance.
Peskov said Russia was willing to engage in dialogue, while reiterating Moscow's long-standing red lines. He said that ending the war would require Ukraine to withdraw from all remaining territory in the contested eastern Donetsk region.
Peskov described the war in Ukraine as one of many regional conflicts whose number was increasing because countries were finding it increasingly difficult to reach agreements on security matters.
In that context, he emphasized the importance of nuclear deterrence.
"Other than the nuclear balance, we have nothing left in the world. It is the only thing still saving us from a world war," Peskov said.
