The Kremlin rejects the possibility of peace talks without Russia

2024-02-26 22:22:09, Kosova & Bota CNA

Russia has rejected a Swiss idea of ??possible talks in Geneva on a peace plan in Ukraine without Moscow's participation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on February 25 that he hopes that at a summit of world leaders, to be held in Switzerland in the coming months, his vision for peace will be discussed, after the President of Switzerland, Viola Amherd, said that the state its neutral is willing to host a high-level peace conference.

"I hope [the summit] will take place this spring. We must not lose this diplomatic initiative", said Zelensky, adding that he expects the results to be presented to Moscow later.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called this "strange" on February 26.

"As far as we understand, the issue on the agenda is strange, the so-called Geneva platform - a conference to discuss Zelensky's plan for peace."

"We have repeatedly said that this is a strange arrangement, because some plans for peace are being discussed without the participation of Russia, and this is actually not serious, it's funny," Peskov said at the press conference.

Meanwhile, around 20 Western leaders and senior officials will hold talks in Paris to reshape Europe's resolve to support Ukraine as the war enters its third year.

"We want to send [Russian President Vladimir] Putin a very clear message, that he will not win in Ukraine," an adviser to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, told reporters.

The battered Ukrainian forces are struggling due to a shortage of heavy weapons and ammunition, while much-needed US aid is still blocked in the US Congress, with some Republicans opposed to giving the green light to the package worth 61 billion dollars, on the grounds that tougher measures are needed for migration to the US.

The war in Ukraine started on February 24, 2022.

President Putin calls the war a "special military operation" to demilitarize Ukraine.

The West has responded to Russia, hitting the economy of this country with harsh sanctions.

As a result of the war, thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced from their homes./ REL