The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia was preparing for contacts with the United States to get details about U.S. talks with European powers and Ukraine on a possible peace settlement to end the Ukraine conflict.

The continent’s leaders are discussing a contentious deal to back Ukraine and its war effort. The final decision will signal the extent of Europe’s ability to face down Moscow.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told ABC News during an exclusive interview in Moscow on Monday that he believes the warring parties are close to a deal.

The country’s fertility rate was 1.4 births per woman in 2023, according to the most recent UN statistics. That’s well below the 2.1 replacement rate and 20% lower than in 2015. And since then, an estimated quarter of a million Russian men have been killed in Ukraine. “Last year, deaths outpaced births by more than half a million.”

Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday that an International Claims Commission for Ukraine launched by some European powers had no legal force for Russia and was driven by an attempt by European countries to spread propaganda against Russia.

The meeting on Thursday is seen as a critical test of the group’s strength in the wake of President Donald Trump calling them weak.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that if peace talks to end the conflict with Ukraine do not achieve results, military means will be used. Frederik Pleitgen has details from Moscow.