For the first time in a long time, the Ukrainian authorities started talking about negotiations with Russia

The goal of the international conference on peace in Ukraine, which will be held in June in Switzerland without Russia’s participation, is to create a coalition of countries with common approaches to a peaceful settlement. After this, it is possible to involve Russia in the negotiations. About it said in an interview with the American publication Foreign Policy, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba.

According to him, diplomacy textbooks say that negotiations must involve two sides, but the case with Russia is special, since negotiations with it, which were conducted in different formats from 2014 to 2022, eventually ended with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, according to Kuleba, although achieving peace really requires two sides, negotiations with Russia should be preceded either by defeating it on the battlefield, or by creating a broad international coalition that might put forward peace terms to Russia. Otherwise, according to Kuleba, Moscow will not behave in good faith at the negotiations.

The conference, which in Ukraine is called a peace summit, will take place at the Bürgenstock resort in the canton of Nidwalden, near the city of Lucerne, on June 15 and 16. Representatives from dozens of countries around the world are expected to attend. The Swiss government said the meeting should be a platform for high-level dialogue on ways to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on international law and the UN Charter, while developing a concrete plan for Russia’s participation in the peace process.