(Bloomberg) — Ukraine could invite Russia to the next meeting with international partners aimed at working out a formula for future peace talks, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said.
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The Kremlin has repeatedly made it clear that it has no intention of getting involved in the Ukrainian plan. But Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy’s top adviser, raised the possibility as working groups prepare details for a follow-up meeting after last week’s summit in Switzerland.
There is no timetable for another meeting – and the much-speculated prospect of a second summit did not appear in the outcome document of the June 15-16 meeting in Lucerne. Although this meeting included more than a hundred countries and organizations, it fell short of its ultimate goal of building broader global support.
The results of the working groups “will be part of this joint plan, which will be supported by a number of countries” at a second meeting, Yermak said in a conference call late Tuesday. “We think it will be possible to invite a representative of Russia.”
Ukraine’s so-called blueprint for peace has always included bringing Moscow to the negotiating table as the ultimate goal, but only after world leaders were recruited to Kiev’s demands that Russian troops withdraw from occupied territory and recognize Ukraine’s borders.
But winning over governments from the South – mainly China, but also countries such as India and Brazil – has proven elusive. Many delegates from outside the West who came to the summit underscored their point that a process that does not involve Russia is doomed to failure.
India, Brazil and South Africa opted on Sunday not to sign the final communiqué, completing the so-called BRICS countries. Meanwhile, an official from Saudi Arabia, who had been courting Zelenskiy, warned that Kiev had to be prepared for “difficult compromises” to end the conflict.
President Vladimir Putin set the terms for peace talks on the eve of the meeting, calling on Ukraine to first surrender four of its eastern regions to Russia and abandoning its ambition to join NATO. The demand was mocked by Western allies, along with Ukraine, which has repeatedly said giving up its territory is unacceptable.
Still, Yermak described the Swiss meeting as a success. The second summit will be more representative, the chief adviser said, adding that the aim was to “end the war and settle the crises” it had created.
Ukraine is “realistic” and open to input from other countries, he said, and is trying to unite “responsible countries” based on Ukraine’s blueprint, Yermak said of the plan he has led. China and Brazil have proposed a peace plan in which both war parties participate.
The battlefield situation could be a factor in future discussions. So far, both sides appear to be in a stalemate along the more than 1,200 kilometer long frontline. The recent arrival of U.S. military aid helped replenish Ukrainian firepower and halt some of the Russian advance.
Putin embarked on a rare visit to North Korea, his longtime partner suspected of sending missiles and millions of rounds of ammunition to support Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
(Updates with details about the summit from the third paragraph.)
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