Russia’s Medinsky Mocks Europe’s Role in Ukraine Peace Talks, Vows to Reclaim ‘Every Inch’ of Russian Land

Russia’s chief Ukraine negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, dismissed European involvement in peace talks on Wednesday and vowed that Moscow would reclaim “every inch” of land it considers Russian, as two days of U.S.-mediated negotiations ended in Abu Dhabi. ⠀ Asked whether Russian officials had met European representatives present in the city, Medinsky said they had not. “We do not really understand in what capacity they are here,” he said, insisting that the talks were a three-party process involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States. ⠀ He claimed Moscow had received no concrete European peace proposals. “If they came here as tourists, let them socialize in the hotel lobby bar,” he said. Asked what would allow Europeans to join the negotiations, he replied: “As soon as their conscience wakes up.” He accused European governments of misleading Ukrainians and contributing to civilian deaths through their support for Kyiv. ⠀ Medinsky also argued that the war had exposed deep flaws in Europe’s security order dating back to the Yalta and Potsdam conferences. Comparing the continent to a sick body, he described Ukraine as the place where an “abscess” had burst, saying the entire system needed treatment rather than a temporary fix. ⠀ On territorial disputes, he declared: “Every inch of Russian land will be returned to Russia one way or another.” Moscow claims several Ukrainian regions as its own, claims rejected by Kyiv and most of the international community. ⠀ Despite his confrontational remarks, Medinsky said negotiators had found common ground on some issues and remained divided on others. Russia and Ukraine also reached an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange, with details still to be announced.