Day 265: At G20, Zelenskyy Issues 10-Point 'Formula for Peace'; Most Countries to Condemn Russian Invasion

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Facts

  • As leaders from G20 countries kicked off three days of talks in Indonesia on Tuesday, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy — whose country is not a member of the group — addressed the summit via video link. He issued a 10-point "formula for peace" while insisting that fighting must continue.
  • Zelenskyy said: "In order to liberate our entire land from the Ruscists [sic], we have to continue fighting for a while… Fighting! However, if the victory will be ours in any case — and we are sure of it — then should we not try to implement our formula for peace to save thousands of lives and protect the world from further destabilization?"
  • His propositions were; the improvement of radiation and nuclear safety, food security, and energy security, the release of all prisoners and deportees, implementation of the UN Charter and restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian troops, and cessation of hostilities, as well as justice, immediate protection of the environment from ecocide, the prevention of escalation, and confirmation of the end of the war.
  • Meanwhile, although a number of G20 countries remain divided over elements of Russia's war in Ukraine, a draft statement seen by journalists — which will reportedly be released at the end of the summit — will communicate that "most" countries deplore, "in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation," and demand "its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine."
  • In the meantime, Matilda Bogner, head of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said on Tuesday that her office has concluded that both Russia and Ukraine have tortured prisoners of war during the conflict, after conducting interviews with prisoners released from both countries.
  • Elsewhere, both the US and Russia confirmed on Monday that their top spy chiefs — CIA director Bill Burns and Sergey Naryshkin, director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service — have met in Turkey for their first face-to-face talks since the war began. The White House said Burns was "not conducting negotiations of any kind," but held talks to manage the risks of nuclear weapons.
  • On the ground, Russian attacks were recorded in Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy, where three civilians were injured. Ukrainian officials said two civilians were killed and 15 more were injured in Russian attacks across the country over the past 24 hours. They added that the bodies of seven civilians who'd died previously were also discovered.

Sources: Pravda, Associated Press, Reuters, MSN, and Ukrinform.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Associated Press. Although some countries aren't demonstrating their opposition to the Kremlin too publicly — in order to avoid being caught in the middle of tensions between the US and Russia — the G20 statement will demonstrate that most countries condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine and that Moscow will continue to face isolation until it completely withdraws from the country.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Tass. Western diplomats have made efforts to sneak language into the G20 draft statement suggesting that the whole of the group — including Russia — opposes the war in Ukraine. However, Moscow has ensured that its perspective is well-reflected in the text, and that the statement accurately reflects the varied views on the special operation of the broad range of countries in the G20.

Predictions