There are no public talks between Ukraine and Russia, and public statements by Presidents Zelenskyi and Putin suggest that the two sides are more distant than ever regarding the terms of a potential peace settlement.
Zelenskyy hosted a major international summit in Switzerland earlier this month – to which Russia was not invited – to drum up support for Ukraine’s position.
“It is of the utmost importance to us to present a plan to end the war that the majority of the world will support. This is the diplomatic route we are working on,” cites Zelensky’s server Ukrainska pravda.
Slovenian President Nataša Pircová Musarová and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj at a press conference in Kyiv.
Photo:
president.gov.ua
More than 90 countries sent their leaders and high-ranking officials to the two-day summit with Zelensky in Switzerland.
Most of the participants agreed on the final communique, which emphasizes the need to respect the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine in any settlement.
The Ukrainian president announced that some parts of the plan will be made public soon. “The diplomatic path we have chosen is our initiative, because we are victims of this war,” Zelenskyy said.
“After the peace summit, we are now working in detail on three plans related to energy, food security and exchange (of prisoners – editor’s note). I believe that we will solve these questions, or at least prepare a detailed plan. That will happen soon,” he said.
Ukraine has repeatedly said Russia must withdraw its troops from its internationally recognized territory, including the Crimea peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, before peace talks can begin.
Meanwhile, Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, is demanding that Ukraine effectively capitulate by evacuating even more territory in the east and south.
“If only Ukraine mattered, the war would never have started. Unfortunately, the aggressor – Russia and Putin wanted war. And they don’t want to end it yet,” the president said, adding that ending the war depends on Russia.
“We want peace, but we have to be strong, that’s why we are developing our production,” he said, according to the agency Union Zelensky. In addition to diplomatic efforts, Ukraine will strengthen its combat capabilities. It is currently focused on increasing the production of drones, electronic warfare and artillery.
“We don’t have much time,” the Ukrainian president warned of the high number of casualties among soldiers and civilians. Russian troops are advancing on the battlefield and claim to have seized another small front-line village on Friday. They currently occupy approximately one-fifth of Ukraine, and in 2022 they claimed to have annexed four more regions, none of which they fully control. Ukraine relies on Western financial and military aid to repel invading Russian forces, but after more than two years of fighting, its troops are exhausted and outgunned.
Source: eurozpravy.cz
