Zelensky says Global South should push Russia towards peace
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine remains unclear about what territorial concessions Moscow is willing to make to end the war.
PHOTO: EPA
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KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug 23 that countries of the Global South should push Russia towards making peace in its war with Ukraine, including by helping to bring Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
“I reaffirmed my readiness for any format of meeting with the head of Russia. However, we see that Moscow is once again trying to drag everything out even further,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X after speaking with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“It is important that the Global South sends relevant signals and pushes Russia towards peace.”
Earlier this week, Mr Zelensky said Kyiv would like to see a “strong reaction”
“I responded immediately to the proposal for a bilateral meeting: We are ready. But what if the Russians are not ready?” he told reporters at a briefing in Kyiv on Aug 20.
“If the Russians are not ready, we would like to see a strong reaction from the United States,” he said.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has been seeking to broker a resolution to the war, but acknowledged that Mr Putin might not be ready to strike a deal.
Despite recent diplomatic efforts
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine remains unclear about what, if any, territorial concessions Moscow is willing to make to end the war. “To discuss what Ukraine is willing to do, let’s first hear what Russia is willing to do,” he said. “We do not know that.”
He also responded to suggestions that Budapest could host future talks between Ukraine and Russia, saying it would be “challenging”. Hungary, Russia’s closest EU ally, has twice offered to host such talks, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Aug 21. REUTERS
