Bloomberg: Former European and Russian officials held informal talks in Vienna on the war in Ukraine

Former senior officials from Britain, France, Germany and Russia met in Vienna last month to discuss the terms of negotiations to end Russiaʼs war against Ukraine.

This is reported by Bloomberg, citing sources.

According to the agency, the meeting was attended by former British National Security Advisor Tim Barrow, former German Foreign Secretary Markus Ederer, and French diplomat Pierre Vimont. The interlocutors did not disclose the name of the former Kremlin representative who was also present at the talks.

The meeting was organized by the Swiss Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, which specializes in mediating in the resolution of wars. The center said it supports dialogue initiatives that can help end wars and human suffering, and often works confidentially and without an official mandate.

Bloomberg notes that such talks are a common practice of unofficial diplomacy. They involve former officials and experts who, without official authority, exchange ideas that can later be used by governments.

The German Foreign Ministry said it was unaware of the talks and that they were not conducted on its behalf or in coordination with the ministry. The French foreign ministry declined to comment, while the UK government said only that London supports efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

At the same time, an advisor to the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, previously tried to create a separate channel of communication with Moscow, but, according to Bloombergʼs interlocutors, it has not yet yielded results.

• Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have effectively reached a deadlock. Meanwhile, the US President Donald Trumpʼs special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trumpʼs son-in-law Jared Kushner have agreed to visit Kyiv for the first time since Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump met. It is believed that this could help break the deadlock in diplomacy.

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