KYIV: Ukraine and its foreign partners could invite Russia to a future peace summit to discuss ending Moscow’s two-year-old invasion on Kiev’s terms, a senior Ukrainian official said on Sunday.
Switzerland will host a summit to discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s vision for peace, which could be handed over to Russia during a second meeting later, Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Jermak, said.
“There may be a situation where together we will invite the representatives of the Russian Federation, where they will be presented with a plan in case whoever is representing the aggressor country at that time really wants to end this war and return to a just peace.” ” he said during a televised conference in Kyiv.
Zelenskyi first announced his peace formula at the G20 summit in November 2022. It calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the complete withdrawal of Russian troops.
Kiev insists it will not talk to Moscow until all Russian troops leave Ukrainian territory.
The Kremlin has said there is currently no basis for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and that Kiev’s peace plan is absurd because it excludes Russia.
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DELIVERY OF WEAPONS
Half of Western military aid to Kiev is being delivered later than promised, delays that are limiting Kiev’s ability to defend against Russian attacks and costing Ukrainian lives, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Sunday.
Struggling with ammunition shortages, Ukraine has argued for months that Western aid has been too slow to reach it and that the delay has real consequences as the war against Russia enters its third year.
“At this point, commitment does not constitute fulfillment,” Umerov said during a forum marking the second anniversary of the Russian invasion. “Fifty percent of commitments are not fulfilled on time,” he added.
Europe has admitted it will fall short of a plan to deliver more than one million artillery shells to the country by March, instead hoping to complete deliveries by the end of the year.
He said such delays put Ukraine at a further disadvantage “in the mathematics of war” against Russia. Delayed aid will mean Kiev will “lose people, lose territory”, especially given Russia’s “air superiority”, he added.
“We are doing everything possible and impossible, but without timely delivery, it hurts us,” he said.
Kiev has been weakened by a shortage of ammunition in recent weeks, with a vital US$60 billion aid package blocked by political wrangling in the US Congress. Joe Biden said the delay directly contributed to Ukraine being forced to withdraw from the frontline town of Avdiivka in early February, giving Russia its first territorial gain in nearly a year.
On Sunday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said he was “deeply convinced that the US will not abandon Ukraine in terms of financial, military and armed support”, a day after President Zelenskyy urged G7 leaders to ensure the rapid delivery of weapons.
