2023-10-28 18:01:05
VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Talks on Ukraine’s peace plan began Saturday in Malta, with more than 65 countries participating but not Russia, Maltese and Ukrainian officials said.
The two-day meeting involving national security delegates is the third round of such talks in recent months. Ukraine sees this as an opportunity to rally support from countries around the world for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan, especially given that the Middle East conflict may divert attention from Ukraine.
Russia, which has not been invited, has called the initiative biased.
“Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts are bearing fruit, as international support for the Ukrainian peace formula is growing,” the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, wrote on X — formerly known as Twitter — ahead of the inaugural session, highlighting the strong international attendance.
The first round of talks, held in Copenhagen in June, had only 15 participants, a number that increased to 43 in the second round, held in Jeddah in August.
In his speech at the conference, Yermak noted that, as more and more states join the development of Zelenskyy’s plan, “Russia will have to give in to the international community. She will have to accept our common conditions.”
He then specified that five of the 10 points of the plan would be discussed in the weekend talks: nuclear security, energy security, food security, release of prisoners of war and deportees, and restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
In his opening speech, Malta’s Foreign Minister Ian Borg said the high attendance was a “vote of confidence in Malta as a peace mediator”, reiterating the country’s support for Ukraine.
“Although we are a neutral state, we cannot remain silent in the face of injustice, atrocities and abuse of power in this region,” Borg said. “Malta believes in multilateralism under the auspices of international law and the UN Charter.”
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