French-German plan for EU-Putin talks collapses

Moscow expresses disappointment at ‘fragmented’ bloc after several European leaders dismiss the plan.

Russia has described the European Union as “fragmented” after the bloc failed to agree on a French-German proposal for direct talks with President Vladimir Putin. Berlin and Paris had on Thursday called for the EU to resume talks with the Russian leader, a week after United States President Joe Biden’s meeting with him in Geneva. While they said restarting discussions would help repair ties and enable cooperation in areas of mutual interest, some member states fiercely opposed the plan, with Eastern European critics denouncing it as “dangerous”.