Brussels: Europe and the Arabs and agencies
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced that he had discussed with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joint preparations for holding what he described as a "peace summit", and the meeting was on the sidelines of the European Union summit in Chisinau.
Zelensky wrote on his channel on "Telegram": "During the meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, we discussed joint preparations for a global peace summit and the involvement of the largest possible number of participants. I thank the Chancellor for his support for the proposed Ukrainian peace formula and his willingness to participate in its implementation."
It is noteworthy that Zelensky put forward, within the framework of the G20 summit, a "peace plan" consisting of 10 points.
For her part, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on this initiative and said, "The Kiev regime's initiative to hold a peace summit at the United Nations headquarters is a public relations stunt by Washington."
A senior Ukrainian presidential advisor and European diplomats revealed plans between Ukraine and its allies to hold a summit of world leaders without a Russian presence, with the aim of rallying support for Kiev's terms to end the conflict.
The summit plans, though tentative, have strong support from European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, who are pushing for the inclusion of countries that have either backed Russia or refused to take a stand on the crisis.
"We need a unified plan for a responsible civilized world that really wants to live in peace," Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak's chief of staff told the Wall Street Journal.