European Council president: It is up to Ukraine to decide when dialogue with Russia may be possible

Any future dialogue with Russia must be based on international law, as well as on Ukraine's right to decide when this may be possible.

President of the European Council Charles Michel said at the first plenary session of the Global Peace Summit, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

“Peace requires dialogue. Any future dialogue with Russia must be based on international law and the UN Charter. And it is up to Ukraine to decide when this may be possible,” the European Council president said.

He believes that international law and the UN Charter are the only guidelines for achieving a just peace. “We therefore need a global response. We all have a choice to make. Do we let the world slide backwards, or do we stand strong and go forward in the direction of international law, fundamental principles,” he said.

According to the European Council president, this war is more than an attack on the security of Europe, on the idea of Europe. “This is an attempt to drag us all back to a darker past, a world of nuclear confrontation and major food insecurity, with all the ensuing economic consequences,” Michel said.

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He also called Russia's threats to use nuclear weapons as “completely unacceptable and irresponsible.”

As Ukrinform reported, the Global Peace Summit started in Switzerland on Saturday. Its main topics include nuclear and food security, as well as humanitarian dimension, including the exchange of prisoners and the return of deported Ukrainian children.

Photo: KEYSTONE/EDA/POOL/Michael Buholzer