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Ukraine FM recognizes need for Russia presence in peace talks

Monday, 17 June 2024 10:20 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 17 June 2024 10:20 AM ]

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (Photo by AP)

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has admitted that his country will eventually have to negotiate with Russia to end the war but only when Kiev has a stronger bargaining position.

Speaking to the press at the Swiss-hosted ‘peace conference’ on Sunday, Kuleba stressed that both parties to the conflict will have to negotiate at some point to reach a definitive peace.

“The idea is that the next summit should be the end of the war. And, of course, we need the other side at the negotiating table as well,” he said.

“It is obvious that both sides are needed to end the war, our job is to ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest position at that time,” Kuleba said, adding that Ukraine understands “perfectly well that the moment will come when it will be necessary to talk to Russia.”

The two-day event was held at the Alpine resort of Burgenstock, with the participation of 92 countries on June 15 and 16.

Russia, however, wasn’t invited to the so-called summit on peace in Ukraine which it described as meaningless, given the absence of Moscow and the unwillingness of Ukraine and its Western allies to consider its terms.

Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out his terms for a ceasefire on Friday, which Kiev and the West have dismissed.

West’s arrogance pushing world to ‘point of no return’: Russian president

Putin has warned that the West’s “selfishness and arrogance” are pushing the world closer to a dangerous “point of no return.”

Kuleba admitted that some countries outside Europe and North America have a different view from the West regarding ways to the conflict.

“Yesterday there were voices from the Global South about difficult compromises that need to be made. This is not the language we hear from Western partners,” he commented.

Over a dozen countries refrained from signing the final communiqué of the Swiss-based summit, including Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, with many attendees stressing the importance of the presence of Russia at the negotiating table.

Brazil attended with “observer status” and did not endorse the text.

Any meaningful progress towards peace will require “Russia’s participation,” as well as “difficult compromise” between the two sides, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said.

In February 2022, Russia launched what it called a special military operation in Ukraine partly to prevent NATO’s eastward expansion after warning that the military alliance was following an “aggressive line” against Moscow.

The Western countries have been fueling the flames of the war with their unchecked delivery of weapons to Ukraine.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that such a flow of weapons to Kiev will only prolong the conflict.

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