Russia’s possible participation in second Peace Summit doesn’t imply direct talks - diplomat

Russia will most likely be invited to the second Peace Summit, but this does not mean Ukraine will necessarily conduct direct bilateral negotiations with the aggressor state. Instead, negotiations can be run through intermediaries.

Meanwhile, the date and venue for the summit will be determined by the end of the year, said Ukraine’s Ambassador to Türkiye Vasyl Bodnar, who spoke with Turkish and international media on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The logic of the Peace Summit and Peace Formula is to rally the international community in support of a just peace in Ukraine. It is not about putting Ukraine opposite Russia and listening to their inflated demands. The idea is for the international community, together with Ukraine, to develop a basis for a reliable peace and to seek its implementation from Russia," Vasyl Bodnar said.

The ambassador emphasized that Russia's potential participation in the next Peace Summit does not necessarily mean there will be direct negotiations. They will run through countries that agree to be mediators.

"We planned to hold this summit by the end of this year. But for now, those plans are on hold due to attempts by Russia and some other nations to impose their perspective of the future. I think the date and venue for the event will be announced closer to the end of the year," Bodnar said.

The Ukrainian diplomat expressed Ukraine's hope for Türkiye’s active participation both in mediation efforts and in the summit’s work.

"We must understand that any attempt to agree on something without Ukraine is doomed to failure. We certainly do not reject any good initiatives aiming to bring about a just peace. But for us, the absolute axiom is ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,’” added the ambassador.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Ukrainian President’s Office believes the date for the second Peace Summit will be decided after the completion of the thematic conferences on the points of the Peace Formula, which will be held throughout October.