Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said to be ready to sit down with Vladimir Putin for peace talks – but only on one condition.
On Friday, the Russian President had laid down his terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine, deemed unacceptable by Kyiv and its Western allies.
The proposal included Ukraine renouncing its NATO bid and withdrawing its troops from four of its eastern regions partially occupied by Russia.
On the weekend, as dozens of world leaders gathered in Switzerland for a peace summit, Mr Zelensky set out his own, only, condition to kick start negotiations with the Kremlin.
He said: “Russia can start negotiations tomorrow if they pull out of our territories.”
Speaking at the end of the summit, which aimed at discussing a path to peace in Ukraine, Mr Zelensky stated Russia would not end the war and had to be stopped “in any way we can”.
At the summit, a total of 78 nations said the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine must be the basis for any peace agreement to end the war – which was blamed entirely on Moscow.
The document produced at the end of the two-day event focused on a range of issues including security, food, the exchange of prisoners of war, the return of abducted Ukrainian children and nuclear safety, stating the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant should be returned to Ukraine – two years after it fell into Russian hands.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Mexico and India were among the summit attendees who didn’t back the document.
Moscow, which wasn’t invited to the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, also saw Kenya speaking out against the recent sanctions on Russia.
While not every thorny issue, including the status of Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine was ironed out at the summit, Mr Zelensky said the massive gathering served to show that Western support for his country was not weakening.
