Ambassadors from the UK, France, and Germany have made a rare push in Moscow for peace talks with Russia, calling for direct negotiations with Ukraine. The meeting comes as Ukraine's drone campaign intensifies, crippling Russian supply lines and disrupting fuel supplies to the Crimean peninsula.
The three countries have been some of Ukraine's most staunch allies, and their ambassadors met with Russian officials at the foreign ministry in Moscow. In a joint statement, they conveyed the key conclusions of their meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London, including the support for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.
However, Moscow has accused the E3 grouping of wanting to continue the war against Russia, and the foreign ministry said the ambassadors had been told of their countries' 'destructive' policy on Ukraine. The Kremlin has previously preferred to talk to the US administration, rather than European countries.
The Ukrainian drone campaign has had significant impacts on Russian supply lines, including a crucial route known as the 'highway of death'. Ukrainian forces have destroyed dozens of trucks and tankers, reducing military cargo traffic along the highway by 71% over the past two weeks.
As a result, fuel stations on the Crimean peninsula have run dry, with Reuters witnesses reporting that there was no fuel available at most local petrol stations. The Russian-backed governor of Sevastopol said Ukrainian drones had caused damage overnight, and that trucks had been unable to bring fuel into the city after recent Ukrainian strikes on supply routes.