A senior Ukrainian official said on Monday that he wants a UN-backed peace summit to end the war with Russia by February 2023, which Moscow is the first to face a war crimes tribunal in an international tribunal. limited to the case
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the Associated Press: interview As the conflict continues to escalate, Ukraine will do everything it can to win next year’s war, but both sides hope to reach a diplomatic deal.
“All wars end in a diplomatic way. All wars end as a result of actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table,” Kreba said. “The United Nations could be the best place to host this summit, as this is not going to favor any particular country.”
The top official added that his government wants UN Secretary-General António Guterres to act as a mediator at a potential peace summit…and honesty. ”
UN spokeswoman Florencia Soto Nino Martínez told the Associated Press on Monday in response to Mr. Kuleba’s comments:
Russia: ‘I’m not a negotiator’
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said in recent months that Moscow is ready to negotiate to end its deadly conflict with its neighbor.and interview On state television Russia 1 on Christmas Day, Putin appeared to indicate that Ukraine was refusing to hold peace talks.
“We are ready to negotiate an acceptable solution with all parties involved, but it is up to them. They refuse to negotiate, not us,” Putin said.
The Russian president also added that he believes his country is “acting in the right direction” and “defending our national interests, the interests of our citizens and our people.” And we have no choice but to protect our citizens. ”
However, in a statement Monday commenting on Kleba’s proposal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that Russia “did not follow the conditions set by other countries. Only our own common sense. ”
Washington says the only solution to ending the war in Ukraine is for Russian troops to leave the country.
Meanwhile, CIA Director William Burns said: Interview with PBS The CIA, announced Dec. 16, does not believe Putin is serious about negotiating an end to the war.
Putin’s so-called large-scale “special military operation” began in Ukraine on February 24. Ukraine was initially able to reclaim vast tracts of land seized by Russian forces, but Russia now controls about one-fifth of Ukraine.
In September Russia annexed the disputed territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.
Russia ‘responsible for overwhelming majority’ of war crimes: UN commission
Russian officials say a peace deal will be needed to ensure Ukraine recognizes Russia’s sovereignty and other territorial acquisitions over the Crimean peninsula it annexed in 2014.
Peace talks are becoming less and less likely and war continues to rage. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): 17,000 civilians According to reports, up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the invasion so far.
Further reports suggest that over 100,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded, although the Russian government has put the figure much lower.
In October, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, established by the United Nations Human Rights Council, said: Conclusion It said it had found reasonable grounds to conclude that “a series of war crimes, human rights violations and international humanitarian law have been committed in Ukraine.”
This conclusion is the result of a study of events in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkov and Sumy regions in late February-March 2022.
“The impact of these violations on Ukrainian civilians is immeasurable. Thousands of lives lost. I was.
The commission said Ukrainian forces had committed violations of international humanitarian law in some cases, including two cases that amounted to war crimes, but said the Russian military was responsible for the “majority” of the violations. .
Katabella Roberts is a news writer for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on US, world and business news.