Russia has announced it will not participate in any follow-up discussions to the “peace summit” held in June, labeling the process as fraudulent. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, made the statement on Saturday, dismissing the summit as irrelevant without Moscow’s involvement.
The original summit, organized by Switzerland, included delegations from over 90 countries, but Russia was not invited. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed hopes of organizing another meeting by the end of the year, with Russia in attendance.
Zakharova, however, criticized the process on Telegram, describing it as a deceptive act orchestrated by Western countries and their Ukrainian allies. She stated that Russia remains open to serious negotiations, but only proposals that reflect the “situation on the ground”—a reference to Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions—would be considered.
According to Zakharova, Ukraine and its Western supporters are not genuinely interested in peace, pointing to Ukraine’s recent military actions in Russia’s Kursk region and Zelenskyy’s ongoing calls for more advanced Western weapons.
On the eve of the June summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out conditions for peace talks, including Ukraine’s recognition of Russia’s control over the four annexed regions. Moscow has since maintained that no negotiations can occur while Ukrainian troops are present in Russia’s Kursk region.
Zelenskyy, on the other hand, has anchored his peace efforts in a “peace formula” introduced in late 2022, calling for the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine, the restoration of Ukraine’s pre-invasion borders, and accountability for Russia’s actions.
(With inputs from Reuters)
