The Ukrainian president said on Tuesday he wants the next peace summit aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine to be held in a country in the global South.
In June, leaders and top officials from more than 90 countries gathered in Switzerland for the first summit hosted by Ukraine, which was held without Russia or China.
“We would like the second summit to be held in a country in the global South,” Andriy Yermak said at a forum in Kyiv.
The Global South refers to the many countries and groups outside Europe and North America whose foreign policy interests do not fully align with those of Kiev or Moscow.
Russia was excluded from the first summit but Ukraine said it hoped Moscow could be included in a second round of talks.
“If Russian representatives want to take part in the second summit, they will take part in it,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
Any diplomatic breakthrough appears elusive, however, as the Kremlin has said it “will not negotiate” with Ukraine since Russia launched a counteroffensive in the Kursk region.
Even before the invasion, the Kremlin had insisted that any peace deal would require Kiev to hand over territory that Moscow claims as its own — an unacceptable condition for Ukraine.
This announcement by Kiev comes a few days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kiev, where he advocated peace.
“Mr Modi has made it very clear that India will never support any plan, any proposal, that involves any compromise with the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Mr Yermak said.
However, neither side has shown any signs of breakthrough in Kiev – and India firmly believes that Moscow must be engaged in diplomatic efforts.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Mr Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and “emphasised his interest in contributing to a possible political and diplomatic solution to the situation around Ukraine.”
Apart from Modi, Zelensky has met leaders of several countries in the global South, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
He has not yet met Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who has become Moscow’s key political and economic partner since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“The only thing left now is for our president to meet with the Chinese leader. But I believe that will happen,” Mr. Yermak said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)