The Kremlin’s chief spokesperson hailed calls from Paris, Rome and Berlin to reopen talks with Moscow as a “positive evolution.” Russia has largely been in the diplomatic freezer since early 2022, when it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have recently signaled new openness to dialogue with Moscow, with Merz this week calling for a “balance in relations” with Russia.