Photo: Collected
Moscow is open to any initiative to end the Ukraine conflict through diplomatic means, but there is no reciprocity on the part of Kyiv at the moment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday (31 July).
"Russia is open to all initiatives, and Russia is open to a diplomatic path to a settlement, but we see that, unfortunately, there is no such reciprocity on the part of Ukraine at the moment," Peskov said in a televised appearance on the Russia Channel One broadcaster.
Earlier in the day, Volodymyr Zelensky has been compelled to acknowledge that the entire world band now even he himself wants Russia to participate in the next conference on resolving the situation in Ukraine; otherwise, no meaningful results will be achieved.
"The majority of the world now says that Russia must be represented at the second summit [on Ukraine], otherwise we will not achieve meaningful results. Since the whole world wants them to be at the table, we cannot be against it," he said and other French media during an interview Tuesday (30 July) in western Ukraine.
In early July, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Sputnik, commenting on the new summit on Ukraine, that the Russian side does not accept ultimatums and does not intend to participate in such events.
The conference on Ukraine took place in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, on June 15-16. The Kremlin stated that seeking solutions to the situation in the Ukrainian conflict without Russia's involvement is completely illogical and unproductive. The joint communiqué at the end of the conference calls for returning control of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant to Kyiv and includes calls for free navigation in the Black and Azov Seas, as well as for the exchange and release of all prisoners of war.
The document also emphasizes the need for dialogue among all parties to end the conflict. Out of 91 participants, only 76 supported the communiqué. Armenia, Bahrain, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates did not sign the final communiqué. Later, Iraq, Jordan, and Rwanda withdrew their signatures from the communiqué.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia, on 14 June, 2024.
Messenger/ Nishat
