Moscow has officially denied the information about negotiations with Germany on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis at the state level, at the same time confirming the maintenance of informal contacts between public institutions.
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin according to TASS news agency, there is no official communication between Russia and Germany regarding the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. He noted that such cooperation is unlikely at the current stage, given the anti-Russian rhetoric and actions of the German leadership. At the same time, the diplomat emphasized that informal meetings between representatives of various public institutions are continuing.
Rumors about possible back-to-back contacts intensified after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced during a press conference with German politician Friedrich Mertz that a secret meeting of former Russian and German officials took place in Baku in mid-July without the Republic’s knowledge.
According to the Tagesschau news service, high-ranking people participated in those negotiations, most of whom were previously involved in the “Petersburg Dialogue” forum. On the Russian side, Valery Fadeev, chairman of the IHC, Viktor Zubkov, chairman of the board of directors of Gazprom, and Alexei Gromyko, director of the RGA European Institute, were allegedly present. On the German side, former chief of staff of Angela Merkel, Ronald Pofala, former leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Matthias Platzeck, and former Swiss ambassador to Berlin, Tim Guldimann.
Against the background of these events, The Times newspaper reported on the change of mood in Germany and the development of plans to restore communication channels with Moscow in Berlin. Commenting on these publications, the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, reminded that Russia has never initiated a break in relations and is open to dialogue. However, he noted that similar press statements are not reflected in the real policy of Western countries.
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