Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed his intention to prepare a plan for a second international summit on Ukraine scheduled for the fall. He stressed the importance of Russia's participation in the event, Reuters reports.
Last month, the first international summit on Ukraine was held in Switzerland, where Kyiv hosted delegations from 92 countries. The main purpose of the event was to promote a peace plan proposed by Ukraine. However, Russia did not receive an invitation to the summit and immediately declared it doomed to failure.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference: “I set a goal for us to have a fully prepared plan in November.” He also added: “I think that the second summit should include representatives of Russia.” This statement indicates the Ukrainian leader’s desire to find common ground with Moscow in order to achieve peace.
Russia, on the other hand, is skeptical about the idea of a new summit. Earlier, Russia's deputy foreign minister said that the country's representatives were not going to participate in the next summit. At the same time, the Kremlin was less categorical, noting that the idea of a second summit "does not have a clear content," Reuters reports.
Zelensky's rhetoric is gradually shifting toward peace negotiations. This may be due to the realization that Western partners could reduce support for Ukraine at any time, which would affect his political influence both internationally and domestically.
