Ukraine expects to convene summit discussing "peace formula" before end of February
The government of Ukraine aims to hold the previously announced "peace formula" summit proposed by Kyiv by the end of February 2023, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres being considered as the mediator.
This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with AP on Monday, reports European Pravda.
In particular, he stated that Ukraine will do everything possible to win the war in 2023, adding that diplomacy always plays an important role: "Every war ends in a diplomatic way. Every war ends as a result of the actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table."
Kuleba said that the Ukrainian government would like to hold a peace summit by the end of February.
"The United Nations could be the best venue for holding this summit, because this is not about doing a favour to a certain country. This is really about bringing everyone on board," he explained.
When asked whether Russia would be invited to the summit, the foreign minister said that it must first be held accountable for war crimes, for example through an international tribunal.
"They can only be invited to this step in this way," he added.
Kuleba explained that Ukraine would welcome the active participation of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in the peace summit, because "he has proven himself to be an efficient mediator and an efficient negotiator, and most importantly, as a man of principle and integrity."
At the same time, the head of the foreign policy department emphasised the Russian Federation's lack of preparation for negotiations: "They regularly say that they are ready for negotiations, which is not true, because everything they do on the battlefield proves the opposite."
According to reports, in an address to the American Congress, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he discussed the Ukrainian peace formula with Joe Biden, and the American leader supported the idea of holding a peace summit. There are currently no details concerning the summit, but it is reportedly supposed to happen this winter.
Read more about the peace proposals put forward by Ukraine.
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