Kyiv, UKRAINE (AP) — Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Monday that his government aims to hold a peace summit by the end of February. Russian war.
However, Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba told the Associated Press that Russia can only be invited to such a summit if it first faces a war crimes tribunal.
Kleba also said he was “absolutely satisfied” with the outcome of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to the United States last week, adding that the United States government would have a special plan to allow the Patriot missile battery to operate domestically in the short term. More than 6 months. Training usually takes him up to a year.
In an interview at the foreign ministry, Mr Kuleva said Ukraine will do everything possible to win the 2023 war, adding that diplomacy has always played an important role.
“All wars end in a diplomatic way,” he said. “All wars end as a result of actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.”
Kuleva said the Ukrainian government wants to hold a peace summit by the end of February.
“The United Nations could be the best place to host this summit because it’s not going to favor any particular country, it’s really about getting everyone involved. .”
On December 12, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will start summits to implement the Ukrainian peace formula in 2023.
At the G20 summit in Bali in November, Zelensky presented a 10-point peace formula that included restoring Ukrainian territorial integrity, withdrawing Russian troops, releasing all prisoners of war, and courting those responsible for aggression and security. did. Ukrainian warranty.
Asked about whether to invite Russia to the summit, he said Moscow must first be prosecuted for war crimes by an international tribunal.
“They are only invited to this step in this way,” Kreba said.
Commenting on Guterres’ role, Cleva said: We therefore welcome his active participation. ”
Russia’s foreign minister once again downplayed comments by Russian officials that talks were ready.
“They regularly say they’re ready to negotiate, but that’s not true, because everything they do on the battlefield proves the opposite.
In comments released on Russian state television on Sunday, Putin claimed his country was ready for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, but did not expect Ukrainians to take the step. Despite Putin’s comments, Russian forces have continued to attack Ukraine, indicating that peace is not imminent.
President Zelensky’s visit to the United States was his first foreign visit since the start of the war on February 24. President Klebba praised Washington’s efforts and stressed the importance of the visit.
“This shows how important the United States is to Ukraine and how important Ukraine is to the United States,” said Kuleba, who was part of the delegation to the United States.
Ukraine secured a new $1.8 billion military aid package during the visit, including a Patriot missile battery.
Kleba said the move “opens the door for other countries to do the same.”
He said the U.S. government had developed a program to allow missile batteries to complete training earlier than normal “without compromising the quality of this weapon’s use on the battlefield.”
Kleba did not give a specific timeframe, only saying it would be “well under six months.” And he added that the training would take place “outside Ukraine”.
During the Russian ground and air battles in Ukraine, Kuleva was second only to Zelensky in communicating Ukraine’s message and needs to an international audience through Twitter posts and meetings with friendly foreign officials. It existed.
On Monday, Ukraine called on UN member states to strip Russia of its permanent seat on the UN Security Council and remove it from international bodies. “We have been preparing for this stage for a long time to expose the fraud and take the place from Russia,” Mr. Kuleba said.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russians have never undergone legal procedures to obtain membership in the United Nations Security Council on behalf of the Soviet Union since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“This is the beginning of an uphill battle, but we will fight because nothing is impossible,” he told the Associated Press.
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