European Union High Representative Josep Borrell stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would continue efforts to organize a peace conference involving Russia but emphasized that any such participation must be grounded in international law rather than Putin’s “preconditions.”
The Global Peace Summit, aimed at discussing Ukraine’s “peace formula,” took place in Switzerland this June, with 92 countries attending. However, Russia was not present at the summit.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels following the EU Foreign Affairs Council, Borrell addressed the possibility of convening another Peace Summit this fall.
“I am convinced that President Zelensky will continue to push in these negotiations to have the next conference with Russia’s presence. This is real, of course. We have already said what has been said – the next step requires Russia’s involvement,” Borrell stated.
However, Borrell highlighted the challenge posed by Putin’s stance, referring to recent statements made during Hungarian Prime Minister Orban’s visit to Moscow.
He stressed the importance of pursuing diplomatic negotiations while rejecting Putin’s terms, saying, “Yes, of course, we must place hope in peace through diplomatic negotiations, but on a certain basis. And this is not Putin’s basis.”
The EU diplomat revealed that discussions with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba focused on building upon the recent Peace Summit in Switzerland. Both parties agreed on the need to expand global participation in future peace efforts.
Borrell noted that while about 90 countries endorsed the summit’s final statement, more work is required to counter Russian propaganda and clarify the situation to the international community.
“That it is Russia that is attacking Ukraine. To remind that there is an aggressor and there is a party that is being aggressed. That Ukraine is defending itself, and we are helping Ukraine in self-defense,” said the EU High Representative.
Reaffirming the EU’s unwavering support for Ukraine, Borrell concluded by endorsing President Zelensky’s Peace Formula as “the only peace plan that the European Union supports.”
Ukraine’s Global Peace Summit formed a broad coalition of around 100 organizations and states supporting the UN Charter and Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Eighty countries signed the communiqué, while 12 did not. The summit addressed three key points from Zelenskyy’s “peace formula,” including nuclear and food security and prisoner exchange “all for all.”
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