kyiv will hold peace talks with Russia tomorrow if Moscow withdraws from all Ukrainian territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
But after a peace summit in Switzerland, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not end the war and must be stopped “by any means possible”, whether by military or diplomatic means.
Western aid is not enough to win the war, he added, but the summit showed that international support for Ukraine is not waning.
The meeting concluded with dozens of countries committing to Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
A final document was adopted that firmly blamed Russia for the widespread suffering and destruction of the war.
However, several countries present, including India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia, did not sign it.
The summit aimed to generate the broadest possible support for a process that could help end the war in Ukraine.
More than 90 countries and international organizations participated in the summit.
Russia was not invited and its main donor, China, was not present, leading some to question the effectiveness of the summit.
Some of those gathered at the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock were not Ukraine’s closest supporters, including Saudi Arabia, whose foreign minister warned that Ukraine will have to make difficult compromises, and Kenya , who spoke out against recent sanctions against Russia.
The final document calls for the restoration of Ukrainian control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently occupied by Russia.
He also calls the Russian invasion a “war,” a label that Moscow has rejected.
He calls for the exchange of all prisoners and the return of children kidnapped by Russia.
The most controversial topics, such as the status of lands under Russian occupation, will be left for later.
Speaking to reporters after the summit, Zelensky thanked the world leaders present, saying he was grateful for showing independence in coming despite pressure from Russia to stay away.
“This summit shows that international support (for Ukraine) is not waning,” he said, noting that states not previously involved in diplomatic efforts had joined the process.
And when asked by the BBC if Ukraine’s weaker position on the battlefield had forced him to consider diplomatic steps, he replied that this was not the case and that Ukraine had always spoken of peace.
He said Moscow’s presence at the negotiations would demonstrate its desire for peace.
“Russia can start negotiations tomorrow if it withdraws from our territories,” he said.
Mr. Zelensky also said that China was not Ukraine’s enemy.
“We respect China and its territorial integrity, we want it to do the same for us,” he said, while calling on Beijing to seriously engage in developing peace proposals.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte earlier said the participants were united in their quest for peace in Ukraine.
“We all know that we are only at the beginning, the beginning of a path towards peace,” he said.
“And while some of us around this table have different opinions on how to achieve peace in Ukraine, let’s make no mistake…we are totally united around a common vision on principles, values and decency.
“You don’t invade another country. You don’t kidnap children. You don’t play politics with the world’s food supply. And you don’t endanger nuclear security.”
All delegations were expected to approve a final statement condemning the Russian invasion, but Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer told reporters on Sunday that the statement would not be unanimous.
Mr. Zelensky said on Saturday that the results of the Swiss summit would be communicated to Moscow “so that at the second peace summit we can set the true end of the war.”
Russia called the Swiss event a waste of time and President Vladimir Putin said Friday he would agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine withdraws its troops from four regions that Russia partially occupies and claims to have annexed.
But one day later Western leaders at the summit strongly rejected Mr Putin’s proposal.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called it “propaganda” and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused Mr. Putin of “telling a bogus story about his willingness to negotiate.”
On Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian leader was not ruling out negotiations with Ukraine, but added that guarantees would be needed to ensure their credibility and that Mr. Zelensky could not do so. participate.
