Ukraine believes that it is very right to strengthen itself on the battlefield, but it is also right to strengthen itself diplomatically. We do not want any negotiation formats and peace formulas to be imposed on us, even if they are initiatives of partner countries, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference in response to a question from the editor-in-chief of LB.ua.
The initiative for peace can only come from Ukraine. The peace formula was launched at the G19 summit in Indonesia.
"Today we have reached the moment of the first summit. The first summit is inaugural, it will take place, I hope it will be in the spring. We cannot lose this diplomatic initiative. It will be in Switzerland," he said.
Ukraine does not want to hold the second summit on the European continent.
"I think that in the coming weeks, months, this information will also appear," he said.
At the first summit, Ukraine expects to create a plan, after which the countries will technically work on each of the crises created by the war and prepare a document, just as they did with the grain initiative.
"This does not mean that Russia will accept this document. No one can guarantee who will be there on their side, we don't know. But we say that this document will be presented by the negotiators to the Russian side. And we will be ready for the second summit to take appropriate diplomatic steps," he stressed, noting that Ukraine needs a just peace.
The president added that this is our initiative and Ukraine wants as many countries as possible to join it.
"I really don't want to see an initiative from a non-democratic country or a very democratic country that would not coincide with the interests of a country that is at war, after the elections in different countries of the world, and this is a year of different elections," the Ukrainian president said.