The Peace Summit in Ukraine is the beginning of the process to end the war, stated Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna.
The meeting of leaders at the summit will help discuss the restoration of peace in the country, and the format of the meeting may change in the future. Stefanishyna expressed hope that not only allies but also countries from the Global South and Asia will be present at the summit.
Russia’s participation in the negotiations is still unknown, but Stefanishyna urged not to rely on the constructiveness of Russia’s intentions. For the summit to be successful, it is important to avoid Russian disinformation and discreditation of the Ukrainian government and the peace formula.
The Peace Summit will be the first platform to help end the war in Ukraine. In the future, the format of the leaders’ meeting may be somewhat changed. This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna. According to her, this meeting will be the first platform where leaders will officially discuss the restoration of peace in Ukraine.
“This is the beginning of a large political dimension, the end of the war. Undoubtedly, there will be certain modifications, and the option of the next meeting in one of the Arab countries has already been announced,” said Stefanishyna.
After the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council, Stefanishyna heard commitment to this conference from all allies. The Ukrainian minister calls the Peace Summit “the only new tool that allows ending the war without binding oneself to certain conventional mechanisms.”
Regarding the possible presence of the Russian side at such a summit in the future, Stefanishyna noted that it is currently worth focusing on organizing the meeting, which will take place in just two weeks. At the same time, the Ukrainian side hopes for the presence of not only allies but also countries from the Global South and Asia.
“We need to focus on ensuring that no Russian disinformation campaigns succeed. This includes the discreditation of the Ukrainian government, the discreditation of the peace formula, and the peace summit itself, so that this event is not successful,” she said.
Will Russia be involved in the negotiation process?
Stefanishyna also noted that only the results of the summit will make it clear what the next meeting might be like. However, she urged “not to have illusions that Russia has any intentions to engage in constructive negotiations.”
The Deputy Prime Minister believes that both undermining the legitimacy of the President of Ukraine and alternative peace formulas only prolong the agenda.
Peace Summit: Key Points
- The Peace Summit will be held on the 15th and 16th in Switzerland. The event is expected to pave the way for a future peace process regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. More than 150 countries will participate in the summit – invitations have already been sent to them. However, Russia has not yet been invited to the summit. The reason is that the Kremlin has repeatedly stated that it is not interested in participating.
- On May 26, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping with a request to participate in the Peace Summit.
