Ukraine intends to organize another peace summit by the end of this year and wants Russia to participate this time, the Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey said today, but ruled out any to direct bilateral negotiations at the meeting, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been going on for three years now, and the two sides remain far apart on how to end the war. Turkey, China, Brazil and other countries have offered to mediate to resolve the conflict or discuss peace proposals, but no progress has been made.
Ukraine insists on the "peace plan" of President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin says peace talks can only begin if Kiev agrees to give up large swaths of territory claimed by Moscow and abandons its bid to join NATO.
"One of the most important goals of this summit is to achieve a just peace in Ukraine. Here we are not talking about a format in which Ukraine and Russia will sit opposite each other and Ukraine will listen to Russia's demands," Ambassador Vasil Bodnar said at a briefing in Ankara through a Turkish interpreter.
"What we see now is this: the international community, together with Ukraine, will sit down and create a list of what steps can be taken for a just peace in Ukraine and discuss what demands to make to Russia on basis of this list," he added.
"It will not be a direct bilateral meeting, it will most likely be in a format where third parties will be involved and (negotiations) are done through the third parties. We hope to hold this summit by the end of the year," Bodnar pointed out.
He said Turkey, which tried to maintain good relations with both Ukraine and Russia during the war, would be an important player because of its experience in mediating other conflicts.
NATO member Turkey supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine, condemns the invasion and provides the country with military support, but at the same time opposes Western sanctions against Russia, with which it has important relations in the fields of defense, energy and tourism, the agency notes.< /p>
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to attend today's Ukraine-Southeast Europe meeting in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik. A Turkish diplomatic source said Fidan would there reiterate Ankara's position that any peace talks must involve both sides to find a "fair and lasting" decision.