Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday he will put the finishing touches on an “action plan for peace” by the end of November. He added that he cannot discuss a ceasefire while Russian forces occupy Ukrainian territory.
Zelensky touted his “action plan for peace” as an extension of June’s “Global Peace Summit” in Switzerland, which produced a communique calling for restoration of Ukraine’s “territorial integrity.”
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Representatives from 91 nations signed the communique, but Russia was not one of them. Russian President Vladimir Putin instead demanded Ukraine surrender its occupied eastern provinces to Russian control and abandon its plans to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Putin additionally demanded all foreign forces withdraw from the Eastern European region he imagines as Russia’s sphere of influence.
Zelensky said in an interview with Japan’s NHK television news on Saturday that he still believes the international community can pressure Putin to give up his demands and negotiate for peace.
“Patience, support, and diplomatic pressure are the three factors for a just end to the war. If the U.S. and European nations maintain unity, it will add pressure and show Moscow that there is no chance,” he said.
Zelensky apparently timed his rollout date for the “action plan for peace” with an eye on the U.S. presidential election in November. Ukraine wants to organize another Global Peace Summit before the election, producing a second communique that Zelensky believes might “mark the end of the war.”
During his NHK interview, Zelensky said he invited Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to visit Ukraine. Trump has criticized heavy NATO spending on Ukraine’s defense and voiced skepticism the Ukrainians can win the long war of attrition with Russia, although he also praised Zelensky and said he maintains a good relationship with the Ukrainian leader.
Soldiers of Ukraine’s Azov battalion light flares at a rally demanding to free Ukrainian prisoners of war who are held in captivity in Russia at Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Several thousand people and soldiers gathered to commemorate the second anniversary of a Russia-orchestrated explosion that killed more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Russian-held Olenivka prison barracks. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
“If Mr. Trump wants to learn something about Ukraine, he can come and see for himself or ask me. We have been in contact with his team. Mr. Trump told me he was available for any questions, and that I have his phone number,” Zelensky said on Saturday.
The Ukrainian president’s optimism flies in the face of Russia’s dismissive response to the Global Peace Summit. The Russians derided Zelensky’s ten-point peace plan as an unrealistic “ultimatum” and said they have no interest in participating in a second summit. Putin has not yet compromised on any of the demands he made in June as prerequisites for a ceasefire.
Zelensky did not seem in a peaceful frame of mind on Sunday when he congratulated Ukrainian troops for holding the Russians at bay during intense fighting along the borders of Donetsk, one of the regions Putin wants Ukraine to surrender.
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“Today in Ukraine, we remember our people who were killed by Russian savages in Olenivka. This is one of the most horrific Russian crimes of this war. Russia must be held accountable for this. And it will be. There is no scenario in which the murderers will remain unpunished,” he said, referring to a bloody Russian attack on a prison two years ago.
“Eternal memory to all our people who were killed by the occupier. Glory to all who fight and work for the sake of our state. We will definitely defend our Ukraine,” he said.
Zelensky insisted on Sunday that Ukraine “has the strength to achieve its goals” in the war.
Zelensky visited Ukrainian special operations forces (SOF) on the front lines in the Kharkiv region on Monday, which was a Ukrainian holiday devoted to special forces troops.
“The hottest spots on the frontline. The most important combat operations. The most responsible tasks. We can’t talk much about the work of the Special Operations Forces now, but these are always results that strengthen Ukraine and weaken the Russian occupiers,” he said.
