The meeting included Tim Barrow, former UK national security adviser to the prime minister; Markus Ederer, former German foreign ministry state secretary; and Pierre Vimont, a French diplomat and former secretary-general of the European External Action Service. The name of the Russian participant was not disclosed, according to Bloomberg's sources.
The talks were initiated by the Swiss Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), which conducts unofficial mediation in conflicts. Ederer and Vimont sit on the organization's board of directors. HD said it is "always ready to support initiatives to establish dialogue" but usually operates "very discreetly" to protect such meetings.
Germany's foreign ministry said it was "not aware of the mentioned discussions" and that they were not conducted on its behalf or in coordination with it. The French ministry declined to comment. A UK government representative said London supports efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace but does not comment on the activities of former officials. One Bloomberg source said the British side welcomed the initiative, while another said Paris was aware of it.
The Vienna meeting came as Britain, France and Germany, together with Ukraine, sought to build a direct channel of communication with the Kremlin. In July, former German and Russian officials held a similar meeting in Baku, a fact confirmed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. According to German journalists, those contacts were conducted through the former "Petersburg Dialogue" forum.
The Kremlin did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment.