Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the Ukrainian government expects to hold a “peace formula” summit by the end of February, preferably at the United Nations with Secretary General António Guterres as a possible mediator.
As the foreign minister told The Associated Press, the Ukrainian government would like to hold the summit by the end of February, around the anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“The U.N. could be the best venue for this summit because it’s not about doing a favor for some country. It’s about getting everybody involved in the initiative,” he said.
Asked if they would invite Russia to the summit, he said that first that country should be held accountable for war crimes, for example, in an international court.
On Guterres’ role, Kuleba said: “He has proven himself as an effective mediator and an effective negotiator, and most importantly, as a man of principle and integrity. So we would welcome his active participation.”
The AP later published a U.N. response that Guterres can only mediate if all parties want him to.
“As the secretary general has said many times in the past, he can mediate only if all parties want him to mediate,” UN Deputy Spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez said Monday.
The Ukrainian foreign minister also reiterated that Russia is not really ready to negotiate.
“They regularly say they are ready for negotiations, which is not true, because everything they do on the battlefield proves otherwise,” he said.
At the same time, the minister noted that every war ends diplomatically.
“Every war ends as a result of actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table,” he added.
