President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his hope on Wednesday that a “peace summit” for Ukraine could be organized this autumn. He believes that the talks in Saudi Arabia held this week are a crucial step towards achieving this goal. The meeting in Jeddah on August 5 and 6 will be attended by representatives from nearly 40 countries, Zelenskiy revealed.
In a speech published on the president’s website, Zelenskiy stated, “We are working on making it (the summit) happen this fall.” He acknowledged that autumn is quickly approaching but emphasized that there is still enough time to prepare for the summit and engage the majority of countries worldwide.
Zelenskiy and his team are actively collaborating with allies to garner broad support for the “peace summit.” The summit aims to endorse principles that will form the foundation for a settlement to end the war initiated by Russia’s full-scale invasion almost 18 months ago.
The planned summit will build on a 10-point plan introduced by Kyiv last autumn, which President Zelenskiy has fervently advocated for. His vision for peace entails the complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the full withdrawal of Russian troops, the safeguarding of food and energy security, nuclear safety, the release of all prisoners, and other essential points.
Although the venue for the summit has not been finalized, Ukrainian and Western officials have made it clear that Russia will not be involved in the discussions.