The Ukrainian president opened the door to talks with Russia on Monday, saying he was in favor of the country’s presence at an upcoming summit on the subject.
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Moscow doubts kyiv’s sincerity. The Kremlin reacted cautiously on Tuesday, July 16, to the remarks of Volodymyr Zelensky, who the day before opened the door to talks with Russia. The Ukrainian president had assured on Monday that he was in favor of Moscow’s presence at a future peace summit, after the one organized in Switzerland in mid-June. It brought together dozens of leaders, but Russia was excluded.
“The first peace summit was not a peace summit at all. So, obviously, we first need to understand what it [Volodymyr Zelensky] “means by that”said the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with the Zvezda channel. Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, said that he wanted to present in November a “plan” For “a just peace”. However, this is the first time since the failure of talks in the spring of 2022, in the wake of the Russian assault on February 24, that Volodymyr Zelensky has raised the idea of discussions with Moscow without a prior Russian withdrawal from Ukrainian territory.
The Ukrainian president did not mention a cessation of hostilities, but wanted to put three issues on the table: the energy security of Ukraine, whose infrastructure has been ravaged by Russian bombing, free navigation in the Black Sea, a key issue for Ukrainian exports, and prisoner exchanges. The Kremlin, for its part, has so far ruled out any peace talks until Ukraine gives up the five regions that Moscow claims to annex and renounces its alliance with the West.
In November, the outcome of the presidential election in the United States, Ukraine’s main ally, could also play an important role in the evolution of the conflict. Republican Donald Trump, who has praised Vladimir Putin’s policies in the past, has promised to end the war within weeks if elected. This has led some to fear that he will reduce American aid, which is now essential support for Ukraine.