Zelenskyy said that Ukraine "does not want to prolong the war and intends to prepare a peace plan by the second summit". He said this at a press conference with the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
"Ukraine does not want to drag out the war, we do not want it to continue for years," Zelenskyy emphasized. According to him, a settlement plan should be ready within a few months, as Kyiv has "many wounded and killed."
Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine did not contact Russia after the peace summit in Switzerland. "I had no dialog with them during this time. If it happens in the shadows, in secret, it's not about us. We want to do it openly," he added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier that Russia's participation in the second peace summit is possible through intermediaries, as Kyiv does not seek direct contacts with Moscow. He cited the successful experience of negotiations on the Black Sea Grain Initiative, when Ukraine negotiated with Turkey and the UN, and the latter, in turn, with Russia.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis suggested that the second peace summit on Ukraine could be held this fall, but before the US presidential election scheduled for November. He noted that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine could not take place without Russia and expressed hope that it would join them in the future.
Earlier, Zelenskyy did not rule out Moscow's participation in the upcoming summit, noting that the presence of the Russian Federation would mean that "they want peace and are ready to end the war."
