Moscow: Russia has officially stated it will not participate in any follow-up discussions to the “peace summit” held in June, labeling the entire process as fraudulent. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, made this announcement on Saturday, dismissing the summit as irrelevant without Moscow’s involvement.
The original summit, organized by Switzerland, brought together delegations from over 90 countries, although Russia was not invited. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed hopes of organizing another meeting by the end of the year, with the aim of including Russia in the discussions.
In her remarks on Telegram, Zakharova criticized the summit process, characterizing it as a deceptive act orchestrated by Western nations and their Ukrainian allies. She emphasized that Russia remains open to serious negotiations but will only consider proposals that reflect the “situation on the ground,” referring to Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
Zakharova further asserted that Ukraine and its Western supporters are not genuinely interested in achieving peace, pointing to Ukraine’s recent military actions in Russia’s Kursk region and Zelenskyy’s continuous calls for more advanced Western weaponry.
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On the eve of the June summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined conditions for peace talks, insisting that Ukraine must recognize Russia’s control over the four annexed regions. Moscow has maintained that no negotiations can take place while Ukrainian troops are present in Russia’s Kursk region.
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Conversely, Zelenskyy has anchored his peace efforts in a “peace formula” introduced in late 2022, which calls for the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine, the restoration of Ukraine’s pre-invasion borders, and accountability for Russia’s actions.
