Denmark is secretly hosting a meeting on Saturday organized by Ukraine and bringing together several countries, including some that remained neutral after the Russian invasion, to discuss the establishment of a lasting peace.
Very few details have filtered upstream. If Danish diplomacy observes absolute silence on this meeting, a Western official indicated that the national security adviser of the White House, Jake Sullivan, would attend.
The meeting should discuss ways to achieve a “just and lasting peace”, the source told AFP.
Alongside representatives of countries that have supported Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, the European Union is also sending senior officials with the aim of providing Kiev with the support of countries that are still neutral in this matter.
“We have worked very hard in the G7 on a formula for peace,” a senior European diplomatic source told reporters. “The idea is therefore to go further and involve key players like Brazil and India” who should be represented in Copenhagen.
“We frankly hope and wish that China will be there,” she added.
Citing sources close to the plan, the Financial Times said the meeting could also include officials from South Africa and Turkey, a NATO member that has maintained good relations with the Kremlin.
India, Brazil and South Africa are part of the BRICS bloc alongside also China and Russia, and none of the three has signed on to Western sanctions against Moscow.
The informal talks in Denmark are not expected to result in an official statement but are seen as a milestone for a summit on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace plan.
This summit, the date of which has not yet been set but which could be held in Copenhagen or Paris during the summer, must be prepared in a “substantial” way according to the EU, which is seeking to cast a wide net.
“We consider it fundamental to have the broadest possible support from the international community,” said the senior European diplomat.
Obtaining new support is crucial for kyiv, whose counter-offensive that began in early June has so far only resulted in modest gains.
This week, the second conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine, organized in London, made it possible to mobilize 60 billion euros for the benefit of the country in ruins after more than a year of conflict.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Washington on Thursday, which has been trying to isolate Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.