Zelensky says, Kiev is ready for peace talks with Russia if it withdraws troops

Zelensky says, Kiev is ready for peace talks with Russia if it withdraws troops

June 17 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kiev is ready to hold peace talks with Russia tomorrow if Moscow withdraws its troops from the entire Ukraine.

But, at the end of a peace conference in Switzerland, he also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not stop the war. Therefore, war must be stopped at any cost be it military or diplomatic means. He said Western aid was not enough to win the war, but the conference showed that international support for Ukraine had not weakened.

The conference ended with an expression of solidarity with the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The conference adopted a declaration blaming Russia for the massive destruction and suffering of the war. However, some participating countries including India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia have not signed it.

The goal of the conference was to build broad support for any possible process to end the war in Ukraine. More than 90 countries and international organizations participated in it. Russia was not invited to this conference. Besides, his big supporter China was not present. As a result, some are expressing doubts about the efficacy of the conference.

Ukraine is not close to any of the countries gathered in the Swiss resort of Burgenst. As Saudi Arabia's foreign minister warned Ukraine, the country would have to make some compromises that would be difficult for them.

Kenya, on the other hand, has spoken out against recent sanctions against Russia.

The declaration calls for the return of control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to Ukraine. The center is currently under Russian control.

It called the Russian operation a "war", which Russia has always rejected.

The declaration also called for the exchange of all prisoners and the return of abducted children.

The most contentious issue, the status (identity) of the areas under Russian control, is left for later determination. Speaking to reporters at the end of the conference, Zelensky thanked the world leaders. He expressed his gratitude to them for coming forward independently despite Russia's pressure to prevent them from doing this.

He noted that countries that were not previously involved in diplomatic initiatives have also joined the process.

"The conference shows that international support (for Ukraine) has not weakened," he said. In reply to query  whether Ukraine's weak position on the battlefield is forcing him to engage in diplomatic activities, "not at all," Zelensky said, "Ukraine has always been talking about peace." According to him, if Moscow was present in the talks, it would be understood that they are interested in establishing peace. "After withdrawal of troops from our territory, Russia can start negotiations tomorrow," he added.

Zelensky also mentioned that China is not an enemy of Ukraine.

Urging the country to play a responsible role in advancing the peace proposal, he said, "I respect China and its territorial integrity. We want China to have the same attitude towards us."

Earlier, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the conference participants are united in establishing peace in Ukraine. "We know we are still at the beginning, the beginning of the path to peace," he said. Russia called the Swiss summit a waste of time.

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he would agree to a ceasefire only if Ukraine withdrew its forces from Russian-held territories. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called it 'propaganda'. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sees this as Putin's 'make-believe attitude'.

Then on Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian president did not withdraw from talks with Ukraine. Rather, he sought assurances about the credibility of that discussion.-BBC