Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Drafting ‘Comprehensive Plan’ to End War With Russia: Report

Kyiv: The conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which escalated significantly in February 2022, now appears to be nearing an end. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he is drawing up a “comprehensive plan”, that will be supported by the majority of the world, to end the war with Russia, reported Al Jazeera. “It is very important for us to show a plan to end the war that will be supported by the majority of the world,” the Ukrainian president, along with Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar, said at a news conference in Kyiv on Friday. “This is the diplomatic route we are working on,” he said.

As per the Al Jazeera report, there are no current negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and, based on public statements by Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two sides appear as far apart as ever when it comes to the terms of a potential peace settlement. Ukraine has repeatedly said Russia must pull its troops out of its internationally recognised territory, including the peninsula of Crimea that Moscow annexed in 2014, before peace talks can start.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who initiated the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, is now demanding that Ukraine effectively capitulate by ceding even more territory in its eastern and southern regions that are currently occupied by Russia.

Earlier this month, the Ukrainian President hosted a significant international summit in Switzerland, excluding Russia, to garner support for Ukraine’s position. More than 90 countries sent leaders and senior officials to the two-day summit in Switzerland and a vast majority agreed to a final communique that stressed the need for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” to be respected in any settlement, Al Jazeera reported.

A two-day summit in Switzerland dedicated to forging a path forward to end the war in Ukraine concluded with key powers spurning a joint communique which was agreed to by more than 90 other countries and international organisations. Notably, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, all of whom have important trading relationships with Russia as members of the BRICS economic group, attended the meeting but did not agree to sign the joint statement.

The peace summit commenced on June 15 and concluded on June 16, bringing together representatives from 92 countries and organisations to put pressure on Russia to end its war with Ukraine. However, Russia was not invited and China abstained from the summit. Earlier on Thursday, at an EU Council Summit in Brussels, Zelenskyy said he would put forward a “detailed plan” in a matter of months to end the war, reported Al Jazeera. “We don’t have too much time,” he added, pointing to the high casualty rate among soldiers and civilians.