Former senior officials from Britain, France, Germany and Russia reportedly held a secret meeting in Vienna last month to explore possible conditions for restarting peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.
The meeting reportedly brought together former UK National Security Adviser Tim Barrow, former German deputy state secretary for foreign affairs Markus Enderer and veteran French diplomat Pierre Vimont. The identity of the former Kremlin official who attended the discussions has not been disclosed.
Barrow did not respond to a request for comment, while France’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment. Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it was not aware of the talks and stressed that they had not been coordinated with Berlin.
A British government spokesperson said London supports efforts to achieve a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine but declined to comment on the activities of former officials. The Kremlin also did not respond to requests for comment.
The meeting was reportedly part of so-called “Track Two Diplomacy” — informal contacts involving former officials, academics and policy experts that can allow participants to explore potential solutions without an official government mandate.
The initiative was reportedly organized by the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), an independent organization specializing in mediation and conflict resolution. The organization said it remains willing to support dialogue initiatives that could contribute to resolving conflicts and reducing human suffering, noting that such efforts are often conducted discreetly and without official government involvement.
Both Enderer and Vimont are members of the organization’s board.
The Vienna meeting comes amid parallel European efforts to establish channels of communication with Moscow. Britain, France and Germany — the so-called E3 — have sought in recent months to develop a direct line of communication with the Kremlin, although it remains unclear whether the Vienna discussions were formally connected to that initiative.
One source said London welcomed the effort, while another indicated that Paris was aware of the contacts.
A close adviser to European Council President António Costa also reportedly attempted earlier this year to establish an unofficial communication channel with the Kremlin, although that initiative has so far produced no tangible results.
Whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to engage in meaningful dialogue with European leaders remains uncertain. Moscow continues to regard Washington as the primary interlocutor for any potential settlement, while Putin has repeatedly accused European governments of supporting Ukraine militarily.
One of Moscow’s key demands remains that Ukraine surrender the part of the Donetsk region still under Kyiv’s control, a demand the Ukrainian government has categorically rejected.
Putin also rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal for a direct meeting in June, while Russia-Ukraine negotiations facilitated by the United States have remained largely stalled since February.
Meanwhile, Western governments remain divided over how best to approach Moscow. During a meeting at the White House last week, US President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy discussed ways to revive peace negotiations, but Trump gave no indication that Washington would immediately increase pressure on Moscow to return to the negotiating table.
Reports have also suggested that Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could visit Kyiv in the near future.
At the same time, Russia’s intensified drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities have deepened skepticism among some Western officials about engaging the Kremlin in dialogue.
Critics of renewed diplomatic efforts argue that Moscow has yet to demonstrate a genuine willingness to end the war and that Ukraine’s allies should instead focus on strengthening military assistance to Kyiv and increasing pressure on Russia to change its position.
The reported Vienna contacts nevertheless underscore the growing interest in exploring back-channel diplomacy, even as official negotiations remain stalled and the war continues into its fifth year.
