Dmytro Kuleba said that there will come a moment when we will need to engage in negotiations with Russia, but Ukraine will not allow Russia to speak in the language of ultimatums.
"Of course, we understand very well that there will come a moment when we need to talk to Russia. But our position is very clear: we will not allow Russia to speak in the language of ultimatums, as it is doing now," Kuleba said at a briefing during the peace summit.
He believes that the recent statement by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin about a "proposal" to cease fire against Ukraine in exchange for four Ukrainian regions was intended to "sabotage" the peace summit in Switzerland.
"He failed, there was no serious consideration of his proposals because there were two fundamental mistakes: the language of ultimatums and secondly, what kind of demand is it for a sovereign country to leave its own sovereign territory?" Kuleba stated.
He emphasized that Ukraine must approach negotiations with Russia from the "strongest position."
"The war can only be ended by seating both sides at the negotiating table. Our president wants the strongest position for Ukraine," the Foreign Minister said.
Additionally, he mentioned "voices from the Global South regarding difficult compromises that need to be made," which were heard on the first day of the summit.
"This is not the language we hear from Western partners," Kuleba noted.
Voices from the Global South regarding difficult compromises:
- On the first day of the peace summit on June 15, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stated that negotiations that will inspire trust will require "difficult compromises."
- Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also commented that "this summit could have been more results-oriented if the other side of the conflict - Russia - had been present in the room."
