The Russian presidential press secretary confirmed that in early 2025, Jonathan Powell, the British Prime Minister’s National Security Advisor, held a telephone conversation with Yury Ushakov, the Russian leader’s aide.
However, according to him, this dialogue failed to develop due to London’s unwillingness to listen to Moscow’s position.
“The fact is that during this contact, there was a strong desire on the other side to discuss the European position, but there was neither the intention nor the desire to listen to ours. Naturally, due to the impossibility of a mutual exchange of opinions, the dialogue did not take place,” Peskov stated.
As a reminder, the Financial Times reported that earlier this year, Jonathan Powell, the British Prime Minister’s National Security Advisor to Keir Starmer, called Yury Ushakov, the Russian presidential aide, to convey the UK and EU positions to Moscow.
According to sources, the conversation did not go smoothly and did not lead to the establishment of informal communication with Putin’s inner circle.