Shmyhal about second Peace Summit: Russia's participation will demonstrate its ability to negotiate peace
Ukraine seeks to attract a representative of Russia to participate in the second Peace Summit in order to prevent manipulation by the Russian Federation and to demonstrate to all participants its ability or inability to negotiate peace.
This was stated by Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during his press conference on Tuesday, September 10, Ukrinform correspondent reports.
The Head of the Ukrainian government reminded that the first Peace Summit brought together more than a hundred participants who signed a joint communiqué.
"It is very important, and we have spoken about this many times, we continue this work, to involve representatives of Russia in the second summit and seat them at this table, making manipulation and lies impossible. This broad diplomatic table, where 100 plus countries will sit, we want these countries to be even more, so that it will be 150 plus countries that will demonstrate Russia's ability to negotiate peace or Russia's inability to negotiate peace. This will be demonstrated at this table," the Prime Minister emphasized.
He added that when negotiating with the Russians directly, they always "deceive, manipulate, twist, distort facts, misinform."
"We have been through all this for 10 years, and today it is important to sit them down at the negotiating table and not give them space or room for manipulation, for lies, for distortion. And our goal is to prepare our partners, to coordinate that this work has begun during the first summit," Shmyhal said.
The Prime Minister reminded that this work was started during the first Peace Summit and now it is underway on ten points of the peace formula in the initiative groups of countries which have taken such an initiative.
Shmyhal also emphasized that the implementation of all ten points of the peace formula based on the UN Charter is Ukraine's very simple wish to its partners on how to end the war.
"Russia's desire to freeze the front line, restore its army, continue their offensive after some period, pass this war on to our children, the next generations, is understandable. This does not suit us. We are interested in a full-fledged peace, absolutely... Sovereignty, the borders of Ukraine, our membership in the EU, our membership in NATO, full protection and preventing a repeat of this war, preventing further escalation. This is what interests us, this is what we strive for, what we are working on, in fact, until the second peace summit, which, I hope, will take place this year," the Prime Minister emphasized, " the head of government concluded.
As reported by Ukrinform, the first Peace Summit was held in Switzerland on June 15-16. Three points of Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace formula were discussed: nuclear security, food security and the humanitarian dimension – the exchange of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. As a result of the summit, a communiqué was signed, which is open for accession.