Russia announced on Saturday that it will not attend a potential second Ukraine peace summit proposed for November, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s indication that Moscow’s representatives would be invited this time.
The Russian Foreign Ministry firmly rejected the idea ahead of Zelensky’s planned visit to the United States, where he is expected to present his peace proposals to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated, “The summit will have the same aim: to promote the unviable ‘Zelensky formula’ as the only basis for resolving the conflict, get support for it from the world majority and with that present Russia with an ultimatum on capitulation. We will not take part in such ‘summits’.”
Instead, Moscow expressed readiness to discuss “serious proposals” that take into account the “situation on the ground made up of geopolitical realities” as described by Russian President Vladimir Putin in June. Putin had previously stated that Russia would agree to peace talks only if Ukraine cedes four regions that Moscow claims as its own.
This rejection comes as Zelensky prepares to seek further support for his peace plan from U.S. leaders. The Ukrainian president’s proposal, known as the “Zelensky formula,” has been a point of contention between Kyiv and Moscow, with Russia consistently dismissing it as unrealistic.
