Ukraine wants to hold summit with Russia before US election – Bloomberg
11 July 2024 09:54
Kyiv is planning to hold a second meeting on achieving a just peace in Ukraine before the November US elections, this time with the participation of Russia. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing its sources, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
This initiative is a follow-up to the first summit held last month in Switzerland with representatives of more than 90 countries. Russia was not invited to that meeting, and Kyiv’s attempts to secure the support of key countries in the Global South failed, with some refusing to sign the final statement.
Many countries, including China, which did not participate in the Swiss meeting, have long insisted that Moscow should be part of the negotiations. Beijing, along with Brazil, has put forward its own proposals to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The desire to organise a meeting before the US elections indicates a sense of urgency on the part of Ukraine, which faces the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House. The presumptive Republican nominee boasts that he will end the war by the time he is inaugurated in January and opposes further US military support for Kyiv.
Ukraine is seeking to use the summit process to reach broad agreement on key principles for a just peace before direct talks with Russia. The Swiss summit focused on nuclear security, food security, and the return of abducted children, and it is around these issues that initial contact with Russian officials could be established.
A Ukrainian official confirmed the plan to hold a second summit before the US elections. Some Western allies say any meeting needs to be carefully organised with a clear purpose and manageable expectations.
Speaking at the Reagan Institute in Washington on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the US to help organise a second summit to make it “more powerful and truly decisive”.
“A formula for peace”
on 11 October 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced to the leaders of the G7 countries a “formula for peace” to overcome the Russian threat. It includes 10 points:
- Radiation and nuclear safety.
- Food security.
- Energy security.
- Release of all prisoners and deportees.
- Implementation of the UN Charter, restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and world order.
- Withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and cessation of hostilities.
- Return of justice.
- Countering ecocide.
- Preventing escalation.
- Fixing the end of the war.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution with the Ukrainian peace formula in 2023, on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Seven states voted against it: Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Syria, Eritrea, Mali, and Nicaragua. The abstentions included China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Armenia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia would not negotiate on the basis of Zelenskyy’s “peace formula”.
