In a sharp escalation of rhetoric, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has accused Western European nations of deliberately obstructing efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. Speaking in an interview with Russian state news agency TASS, Ryabkov claimed that European Union member states-under the influence of NATO and Washington’s foreign policy establishment-are actively undermining the tentative steps toward a negotiated resolution between Moscow and Kiev.

The remarks follow the first direct high-level talks between Russia and Ukraine in over three years, held in May under apparent pressure from US President Donald Trump. According to Ryabkov, these talks led to a significant breakthrough, including a landmark 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange and the submission of mutual ceasefire proposals. While hailed by Moscow as a step in the right direction, Russian officials now argue that Western European leaders are working behind the scenes to derail the fragile diplomatic process.

Ryabkov emphasized that several EU states have played an “explicitly destructive role” by pushing Kiev to maintain hostilities rather than pursue meaningful diplomacy. He accused them of providing not only a continuous flow of weapons and military aid but also of engaging in “acts of sabotage and provocation” that threaten to reignite the conflict at a larger scale.

In his comments, Ryabkov pointed to last week’s coordinated Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian air bases and the destruction of key railway infrastructure in border regions. The attacks reportedly killed at least seven civilians and injured........

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