UK Attempted Backchannel Talks with Kremlin, FT Reports

Fearing that US President Donald Trump, known for his aspirations to normalize relations with the Kremlin, might strike a separate deal with Moscow over Ukraine, the British authorities attempted to establish an informal channel of communication with Russia. However, as reported by the Financial Times, this attempt did not yield any results.

According to the publication, earlier this year, Jonathan Powell, the national security adviser to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, called Yuri Ushakov, the Russian president's foreign policy aide. London's goal was to establish informal contact with Vladimir Putin's inner circle to directly convey, without intermediaries, the clear and uncompromising position of Great Britain and other European countries on the Ukraine issue.

The Kremlin, represented by presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, confirmed the fact of the call but presented its own version of the failure, placing the responsibility on the British side.

"During the contact, there was a strong desire from the other side to discuss the European position, but there was no intention or desire to listen to our position. Naturally, due to the impossibility of a mutual exchange of opinions, the dialogue did not take place," Peskov stated.