The UN-hosted event is scheduled for February 24, Kiev’s envoy to Ankara has revealed
The government in Kiev is pressing ahead with its idea of a “global peace summit,” Ukrainian ambassador to Türkiye Vasily Bodnar said on Thursday. The event will be held at the UN headquarters in New York on February 24, Bodnar told Anadolu Agency. Though Russia has said it was open to talks, there was no indication that it would be invited.
The event was first proposed last month by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, who said it would be based on the 10-point “peace plan” outlined by President Vladimir Zelensky and ought to coincide with the anniversary of the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres said he would be ready to mediate such talks, but only if all the parties agreed.
Ukraine, however, insisted that Russia must meet its conditions beforehand – including a total withdrawal to borders claimed by Kiev, paying reparations, and submitting to war crimes tribunals. Bodnar reiterated those conditions on Thursday, adding that Ukraine was fighting “a war for liberation and independence.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said repeatedly that he is open to talks on Ukraine, but that Kiev is the one refusing to negotiate. As for preconditions, the very least Kiev must do is “recognize the reality on the ground,” including the new status of the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye as parts of Russia, the Kremlin has said.
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