Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that Vladimir Putin is open to contacts with European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to RBC-Ukraine citing TASS, the Kremlin representative made this statement in response to Berlin's recent proposal for talks. "Putin is open to contacts with Europeans, including Merz," Peskov emphasized, thereby officially reacting for the first time to the German Chancellor's initiative.

G20 Summit in Miami as a Likely Venue

According to Peskov, the head of the Russian state has not yet made a final decision on participating in the Group of Twenty summit, which will be held in Miami. It is at this forum, as assumed, that an in-person meeting between Putin and Merz could take place. Thus, the issue of contact between the two leaders is directly tied to the question of the Russian president's presence at the G20 venue.

Proposal from Berlin

A day earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that he would like to hold talks with Vladimir Putin if the latter attends the G20 summit. "The host country always has the right to invite additional heads of state and government. And, as far as we know at the moment, Trump has invited Putin... If he is there, I will not shy away from the opportunity to have a conversation with him," Merz noted. Berlin's statement and the Kremlin's response form the first public exchange in recent times regarding a potential high-level bilateral contact.

Context: Telephone Talks with Scandinavian Leaders

Earlier, Vladimir Putin held telephone talks with two European leaders — Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The conversation took place on October 27 and lasted about an hour and a half. During the talk, the Russian leader outlined his vision of the situation on the front lines, once again mentioned the so-called "root causes of the war," and emphasized that achieving lasting peace is possible only if Russia's interests are taken into account.

Trilateral Talks in Abu Dhabi and Kyiv's Position

The interlocutors positively assessed the agreement to resume trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia in Abu Dhabi. Norwegian Prime Minister Støre called the conversation substantive, yet noted that serious disagreements remain among the participants. It is worth noting separately that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously revealed Norway and Finland's plan regarding talks with Putin, and the Norwegian Prime Minister recently hinted at the possibility of new contacts with the head of the Kremlin. The combination of these signals indicates that the topic of direct contacts with the Russian leader is becoming increasingly active in European diplomacy.