KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s Foreign Minister said Monday that his government aims to hold a peace summit by the end of February, preferably at the United Nations with Secretary General António Guterres as a possible mediator, around the birthday of The Russian War.
But Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press that Russia could only be invited to such a summit if the country first faced a war crimes tribunal.
Kuleba also said he was “absolutely satisfied” with the results of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the United States last week, and he revealed that the US government had drawn up a special plan to have the Patriot missile battery operational in the country in less time. more than six months. Usually the training lasts up to a year.
Kuleba said during the Foreign Ministry interview that Ukraine will do everything in its power to win the war in 2023, adding that diplomacy still plays an important role.
“Every war ends diplomatically,” he said. “Every war ends as a result of actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.”
Kuleba said the Ukrainian government would like to have a peace summit by the end of February.
“The United Nations might be the best place to hold this summit, because it’s not about doing a favor to a certain country,” he said. “It’s really about bringing everyone on board.”
Dec. On December 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine plans to hold a summit to implement the Ukrainian peace formula in 2023.
At the G20 summit in Bali in November, Zelenskyy presented a 10-point peace formula that includes the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for aggression and guaranteed security for Ukraine.
Asked about whether to invite Russia to the summit, he said Moscow would first have to face war crimes charges in an international tribunal.
“They can only be invited to this stage in this way,” Kuleba said.
Of Guterres’ role, Kuleba said, “He has proven to be an effective mediator and an effective negotiator, and above all, a man of principle and integrity. We would therefore welcome his active participation.
The foreign minister again downplayed comments from Russian officials that they are ready for talks.
“They regularly say that they are ready to negotiate, which is not true, because everything they do on the battlefield proves otherwise,” he said.
In comments broadcast on Russian state television on Sunday, Putin said his country was ready for talks to end the war in Ukraine, but suggested it was the Ukrainians who were refusing to take that step. Despite Putin’s comments, forces from Moscow have continued to attack Ukraine, a sign that peace is not imminent.
Zelenskyy’s visit to the United States was his first trip abroad since the war began on February 17. 24. Kuleba praised Washington’s efforts and stressed the importance of the visit.
“It shows both how important the United States is to Ukraine, but also how important Ukraine is to the United States,” said Kuleba, who was part of the delegation to the United States. United.
Ukraine secured a new $1.8 billion military aid package, including a Patriot missile battery, during the trip.
Kuleba said the move “opens the door for other countries to do the same.”
He said the US government had developed a program for the missile battery to complete training faster than usual “without any damage to the quality of using this weapon on the battlefield”.
Although Kuleba did not mention a specific timeframe, he only said it would be “much less than six months”. And he added that the training will take place “outside” Ukraine.
During Russia’s ground and air war in Ukraine, Kuleba was second only to Zelenskyy to bring Ukraine’s message and needs to an international audience, whether through Twitter posts or meetings. with friendly foreign officials.
On Monday, Ukraine called on UN member states to strip Russia of its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and exclude it from the global body. Kuleba said they have long been “preparing for this step to uncover the fraud and deprive Russia of its status.”
The Foreign Ministry claims that Russia never followed the legal procedure to become a member and take the place of the USSR on the UN Security Council after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“It’s the start of an uphill battle, but we will fight, because nothing is impossible,” he told the AP.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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