Zelenskyy: Partners are not pushing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, but it is in the air

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that partners are not pushing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, although "it’s in the air."  

Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a meeting with journalists 

Quote: "Partners are not pushing us, although it seems to me that it is in the air. And here, we just need to be very persistent and strong. And today, we have chosen the right platform for our initiative, the Peace Summit." 

Details: Zelenskyy says that Ukraine would like to receive an official communiqué following the summit: "We want to get energy security [guarantees], including nuclear security. Because I believe that everyone is interested in this, and this can allow us to predict how we pass the next winter" 

Quote: "We want to get freedom for shipping. Any cargo [should be transported] by Ukrainian sea without risk. This includes the safety of people in Odesa and the [rest of Ukraine's] south. Because they are hitting ports – this is [causing damage to] infrastructure, maritime navigation, and the economy. And [we should] also take a serious step to push for the exchange of prisoners. From a humanitarian point of view, the exchange of prisoners is a dual issue, just like it is for energy security. Energy [security] is about nuclear security, something that everyone supports. It seems to me that where nuclear security is concerned, we can also talk about the overall security of the energy system. Regarding exchanges - where there is a prisoner exchange, there is also the question of bringing back children. That's basically what we want to get." 

Details: Zelenskyy believes that if several countries attend the summit and there is an official communiqué issued after it, this will represent a diplomatic advantage for Ukraine.

Quote: "After that, we can arrange sites in certain countries where each of these points will be technically worked out. And then [we can] give this plan to representatives of Russia – like we did with the Grain Initiative, when we agreed on a plan with the UN and Türkiye, and then they separately agreed on this plan with the Russian Federation [...]

It is important that there are not two countries but many countries. Otherwise, the Russians will leave, as was the case with the grain corridor, and we had to build another corridor. It was very difficult. And so here is the plan for these three points. If we succeed, it will pave the way for the next meeting, where all the other important things must be worked out." 

Details: The president believes that a detailed plan agreed upon by the whole world must be created before communicating with the Russian Federation. 

Zelenskyy added that Russian leader Vladimir Putin did not benefit from a dialogue with the whole world: "Because even China will tell him: explain the seizure of territories! Because China stands for the territorial integrity of any state."

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