The Czech Prime Minister called Merz the preferred negotiator from the EU

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is supposed to represent the European Union (EU) in negotiations with Russia on the Ukrainian conflict. Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis said this on June 5.

"For me, this is definitely German Chancellor Merz, who should somehow lead the diplomatic mission," the Ceske noviny newspaper quoted him as saying.

The Czech Prime Minister also clarified that the German Chancellor should receive the right to represent the EU in negotiations from the Council of Europe and the European Commission.

Communication interruption: why the dialogue between Moscow and Kiev remains on pause

At the final press conference in Astana, Putin declared Russia's readiness to resume negotiations and assessed the prospects for ending the conflict.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in the Izvestia studio on June 5 at SPIEF 2026 that the lack of dialogue between Russia and Europe was not Moscow's fault. Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that his country is ready for dialogue, although he does not trust the Europeans who seek to inflict a strategic defeat on it.

At the same time, Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser, who arrived at SPIEF 2026, criticized in an interview with Izvestia the position widespread in the West, according to which negotiations with Russia are possible only after certain requirements are met. He clarified that this approach makes contact impossible and should be abandoned in order to resume communication.