The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov held a one-off phone call with UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell earlier this year, but the conversation “did not go well” and failed to develop further. During a briefing in Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the attempted contact, saying Powell “was eager to explain the Europeans’ position but showed little willingness to listen to ours.” According to the Financial Times, the January call was an independent UK initiative, backed by some European allies, amid fears that U.S. President Donald Trump’s unpredictable stance on Ukraine could sideline European interests.