Russia will not take part in a follow-up to the Ukraine peace meeting that was held last month in Switzerland, Reuters reported, citing appealed to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihail Galuzin, BTA reported.
This effectively means that the Russians do not agree to Volodymyr Zelensky's terms (which include the withdrawal of the Russian army) and will continue to fight until Kiev surrenders.
Moscow was not invited to the first meeting in Switzerland, in which the representatives of 92 countries participated. According to the Kremlin, there is no point in discussing the war without the participation of Russia and it is a waste of time. Ukraine has said it wants another such meeting to be held later this year, possibly in the Global South, and that Russian representatives may be invited this time.
Galuzin, quoted by the Russian news agency RIA, described the Ukrainian preconditions for peace talks as an “ultimatum” and indicates that Moscow “will not participate in such meetings”.
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin was less categorical than Galuzin, saying there was currently "no accurate information" on the idea of a second summit. "What proposals are we talking about?" asked Dmitry Peskov, quoted by RIA. “You know that President Putin and the Russian Federation are always open to dialogue and have never refused dialogue. But we need to understand what we are going to talk about," he added.
Last month, Putin said Russia was willing to end the war, but only on the condition that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and hand over four areas claimed by Moscow in full. Kyiv rejected these demands as tantamount to capitulation. Russia controls almost a fifth of its neighboring country's territory. Kiev says it is determined to get it all back and that peace is only possible if Russia withdraws its forces and Ukraine's full territorial integrity is restored.