Kyiv wants next peace summit to be held in Global South

The Ukrainian presidency on Tuesday said it wanted the next peace summit aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine to be held in a country of the Global South.

Leaders and top officials from more than 90 states gathered in Switzerland in June for a first summit organized by Ukraine, held without Russia or China.

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“We would like for the second summit to be held in one of the countries of the Global South,” Andriy Yermak said at a forum in Kyiv.

The Global South refers to several countries and blocs outside Europe and North America, whose foreign policy interests are not fully aligned with either Kyiv or Moscow.

Russia had been excluded from the first summit but Ukraine said it hoped Moscow could be involved in a second round of talks.

“If Russian representatives want to attend the second summit, they will attend,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday.

Any diplomatic breakthrough however looks elusive as the Kremlin said it “will not talk” to Ukraine since its counter-assault in Russia’s Kursk region.

Even before the incursion, the Kremlin insisted any peace deal would need to force Kyiv to surrender territory that Moscow claims as its own -- an unacceptable condition for Ukraine.

Kyiv’s announcement comes a few days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kyiv, where he advocated for peace.

Modi “made it absolutely clear that India will never support any plan, any proposal that includes any compromise with the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Yermak said.

However neither side showed any signs of breakthrough in Kyiv -- and India firmly believes Moscow should be involved in diplomatic efforts.

Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and “emphasized his interest to contribute to a possible political and diplomatic settlement of the situation around Ukraine,” the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Besides Modi, Zelenskyy has met with several leaders of countries in the Global South including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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He is yet to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who has become Moscow’s key political and economic partner since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“The only thing that remains is for our president to meet with the leader of China. But I am confident that this will happen,” Yermak said.

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