The EU is discussing the transition from the Ukrainian peace summit next month to a possible meeting in Saudi Arabia in the fall with the Russian Federation’s participation, writes Bloomberg.
China and several other countries from the Global South insist on Russia’s participation in the peace process. Ukraine and its allies have opposed engagement with Russia until a set of principles defining any future peace settlement is broadly agreed upon.
On May 27, EU foreign ministers discussed how to obtain positive results from the Ukrainian peace summit, which will take place on June 15-16 in Switzerland. About 70 countries will participate in the summit, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. However, US President Joe Biden will be at a fundraiser and will not attend the summit.
President Zelenskyy called on global leaders to attend the peace summit, but Russia is actively trying to undermine participation from key states. Brazil and India have proposed sending lower-level officials, and only a single high-ranking official from China will attend.