MOSCOW, June 27 President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso said in an interview that he would discuss ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
«Tomorrow I will exchange views with Russian President Vladimir Putin on this issue (settlement of the Ukrainian conflict — ed.), we will seek peaceful solutions,» the Congolese leader said.
He added that he does not plan to visit Ukraine after his visit to the Russian Federation, as was the case in 2023, when participants in the African peace initiative, which includes Congo, first visited Moscow and then Kyiv.
«I do not have the authority to involve our group (participants in the African peace initiative — ed.), if this is group work. … This must be agreed upon,» the president emphasized.
Earlier, at a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in order to begin negotiations, Ukraine must withdraw its troops from the entire territory of the new regions of Russia — the DPR, LPR, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. The head of the Russian state noted that hostilities will cease immediately after Kyiv agrees to this condition. Also, according to the president, Kyiv must officially notify about the abandonment of plans to join NATO — Moscow needs a neutral, non-aligned, non-nuclear status for Ukraine for a peaceful settlement.