Russia declines invitation to Ukraine’s peace summit

Russia declines participation in Ukraine's peace summit, rejecting Zelenskyy's peace plan as allegedly unviable, and demanding Ukraine relinquish territories that Russia claims to have annexed.

Sep 22, 2024 - 16:00
Russia declines invitation to Ukraine’s peace summit

maria zakharova chief press secretary russia's foreign ministry

Russia has announced its refusal to participate in Ukraine’s potential peace summit, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claiming on 21 September, “We will not take part in such ‘summits’,” according to AFP. She stated the summit’s aim is promoting of the allegedly “unviable ‘Zelenskyy formula’ as the only basis for resolving the conflict,” and presenting Russia with “an ultimatum on capitulation.” This comes as Russia’s only claimed way to end its war is Ukraine’s de facto capitulation.

Moscow rejected participation in Ukraine’s Peace Summit ahead of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s visit to the United States, where he is set to present his “victory plan” to Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump. Ukrainian officials proposed Russia’s involvement shortly after the last summit this summer. Russia’s war against Ukraine has now surpassed 10 years, with the full-scale invasion ongoing for 2.5 years.

Reuters reported that Zakharova dismissed the peace process as “another manifestation of fraud by the Anglo-Saxons and their Ukrainian puppets.” She questioned Ukraine’s right for achieving peace by the means of legitimate self-defense, claiming that Ukraine and its Western backers “not think about peace,” citing Ukraine’s incursion into southern Russia’s Kursk Oblast and Zelenskyy’s appeals for long-range Western weaponry.

Moscow insisted it was ready to discuss “serious proposals” that take into account what Russia believes to be the “situation on the ground made up of geopolitical realities,” as described by President Vladimir Putin in June. Putin had previously stated that Russia would agree to peace talks if Ukraine ceded four of its regions that Moscow claims as its own.

The announcement comes in response to Zelenskyy’s indication that he would invite Russian representatives to a possible second peace summit in November. The previous summit, held in Switzerland in June, was attended by delegations from over 90 countries but did not include Russia.

Zelenskyy’s peace formula, presented in late 2022, calls for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine, including Crimea, reaffirmation of Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, return of all prisoners of war and civilian captives, and a mechanism to hold Moscow accountable for the invasion.

In contrast, Putin’s conditions for a “ceasefire” with Ukraine, set on the eve of the June summit, included demands for Kyiv to abandon the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claims and reject its NATO aspirations. Russia has since stated it cannot engage in talks while Ukrainian troops are in its Kursk Oblast.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. 

We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society.

A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support.

Become a Patron!