Russia Should Attend Second Peace Summit, Zelenskyy Says
In his first press conference since attending the NATO summit in Washington last week, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Russia should attend a second peace summit after it was excluded from the first event a month earlier....
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Facts
- In his first press conference since attending the NATO summit in Washington last week, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Russia should attend a second peace summit after it was excluded from the first event a month earlier.1
- A total of 78 countries signed the final communiqué from the June conference in Switzerland. However, a number of attendees were absent from the signatory list, with many calling for eventual Russian participation.2
- Speaking from Kyiv on Monday, Zelenskyy said that he aims to have a plan for the next event of its kind ready by November, adding, 'I think that representatives of Russia should be at the second summit.'3
- In Washington later in the day, US Dept. of State spokesman Matthew Miller was asked if the US had any hand in influencing Ukraine on Russian participation. 'It's something that we discussed with them,' he said — but added that any decisions around diplomatic negotiations were solely Ukraine's to make.4
- Regarding the prospect of Ukraine deciding to negotiate, Miller added: 'As their partner, as their backer, we will support them if that's the path that they choose to take. We have always made that clear.' He alleged, 'It has never been clear that the Kremlin is ready for actual diplomacy.'4
- Meanwhile, commenting on Zelenskyy's remarks on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: 'The first peace summit was not a peace summit at all. So one must understand first what he [Zelenskyy] has in mind.'5
Sources: 1Associated Press (a), 2Associated Press (b), 3Reuters, 4US Department of State and 5TASS.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by US Department of State. Should Ukraine, as the victim of this war, decide it's in their interests to negotiate, the US will support this as has always been the case. However, it should be noted that Russia has never been serious about diplomacy, and engaging with it should be treated with serious skepticism.
- Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. According to polls, a growing number of Ukrainians do support the prospect of starting negotiations with Russia. However, the data is clear that Putin's aspirations of holding onto Ukrainian territories are overwhelmingly rejected by the populace and that the return of Ukraine's borders should be the basis of any agreement.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. The first event held by Ukraine did not resemble a peace summit in any sense of the term. The Kremlin would need to have a much firmer understanding of what the second event would entail before it can meaningfully comment on its participation.
