Ukraine to present document on Peace Formula to Russian govt after summit

KIEV, Feb 26 : Kiev intends to present Russia with a plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine if it is adopted following the peace summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.

“This does not mean that Russia will accept this document… In any case, we are saying that this document will be presented by the negotiators in one format or another to the Russian side,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference.

He also expressed hope that the plan for the “peace formula” will be developed at the first peace summit on Ukraine.

At the same time, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, noted that Russia could be invited to the second peace summit on Ukraine. He added that after the first summit, time will be needed to prepare a joint plan based on Zelensky’s “peace formula,” which will be presented at the second summit.

“With the participation of all these countries that will walk this path with us, at the second summit there may be such a situation that we invite representatives of the Russian Federation to present this plan to them,” Yermak said.

On January 15, Swiss President Viola Amherd said that Zelenskyy had asked Bern to host a peace summit on Ukraine. Kiev wants to hold summits to approve Zelensky’s “peace formula,” the Ukrainian presidency explained. Cassis stressed later that Russia needed to be part of any peace process related to the Ukraine conflict.

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Russian and Ukrainian delegations have engaged in several rounds of peace talks since then, but the negotiations ultimately reached an impasse. In October 2022, Zelenskyy signed a decree stating that Kiev could not hold peace talks as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin remained in office.

In November 2022, Zelenskyy unveiled his 10-point peace initiative dubbed the “peace formula.” It included an all-for-all prisoner swap with Russia, security guarantees for Ukraine, and a return to the pre-2014 borders. Moscow has continuously said it is open to peace negotiations as long as Kiev recognises the territorial gains Russian forces have made since the launch of the special military operation. (UNI)