NEW YORK, August 5. /TASS/. Former high-ranking officials from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Russia met in Vienna in July to explore potential conditions for peace talks to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, Bloomberg quoted sources as saying.

The meeting was attended by former British national security advisor Tim Barrow, former State Secretary Markus Ederer, and seasoned French diplomat Pierre Vimont. The name of the former Kremlin official who allegedly participated in the discussions is not disclosed.

According to the agency, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to a request for comment. The German Foreign Ministry told Bloomberg that it has no information about the meeting.

The agency notes that such informal diplomatic meetings are most often a private initiative and are held in the format of expert discussions to explore potential ways to resolve international problems.

On June 17, Bloomberg claimed that one of the key advisors of European Council President Antonio Costa had held two phone conversations with a high-ranking Russian official close to the Russian president, which infuriated some EU countries.

DPA agency said that Costa’s office confirmed the existence of contacts with Russia aimed at opening diplomatic channels, but without any substantive exchange of views or negotiations.

The Russian leadership has repeatedly said that Russia is open to negotiations with the EU, but Europe cannot act as a mediator, since by supplying Ukraine with weapons, it is a party to the conflict.