Volodymyr Zelensky says he is in favor of a new summit for peace in Ukraine, but this time with Russia present. A previous summit in Switzerland last June was held without Moscow’s participation. Until now, the Ukrainian president had ruled out any possibility of dialogue with Russia as long as Russian troops were on Ukrainian territory.
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The entourage of Volodymyr Zelensky had already mentioned it, but this is the first time that the Ukrainian president has spoken in public about such a scenario, even though Russia still occupies a fifth of the territory of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky now considers it possible to organize a peace summit in the presence of a Russian delegation. On our side and on the side of our partners, I think that everything will be done. I think that for this purpose we will be ready to come as close as possible to the second summit, and I think that Russian representatives should be present at this second summit,” said the Ukrainian president on Monday, July 15.
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In mid-June, was held in Geneva: first summit for peace in Ukraine with about a hundred participants, but without Russia, which had not been invited. The press release called for ” to involve all parties” in the conflict to bring about an end to hostilities and reaffirmed “the principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all States, including Ukraine. »
Volodymyr Zelensky hopes that the second peace summit can be held in November. By then, thematic working groups will be held in Qatar, Turkey and Canada: the first on energy security, the second on food security and the third on prisoner exchanges.
For the time being, there is no question of a possible cessation of hostilities because on this point the Ukrainian position has not changed one bit: kyiv refuses to consider a ceasefire as long as Russian troops are present on Ukrainian territory.
For their part, the Russian authorities have also set their conditions: Ukraine’s abandonment of the four regions that Russia wants to annex in addition to Crimea, and the assurance that the country will renounce joiningNATO which has just make new commitments to support kyiv…Demands rejected en bloc by Ukraine and its allies.
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