MOSCOW, August 9 The invitation of Russian representatives to the summit on Ukraine does not mean the start of negotiations, said the head of Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Andriy Yermak, in an interview with European Pravda.
«This does not mean the start of negotiations with Russia. No, this is not what we are talking about at all,» the politician asserts.
According to him, the main goal of this summit will be to convey to Russian representatives the Ukrainian plan for ending the conflict.
On July 24, while in Beijing, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that «the Ukrainian side is willing and ready to conduct dialogue and negotiations with the Russian side.» He added that the negotiations should be rational and have practical significance for achieving a «just and lasting peace.» At the same time, Kyiv had previously introduced a ban on them at the legislative level and ignored Moscow's statements about its readiness to conduct dialogue. Volodymyr Zelensky said in mid-July that Russian representatives should be present at the second peace summit.
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin made new peace proposals that included recognizing the status of Crimea, the DPR, LPR, the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions as regions of Russia, securing the non-aligned and non-nuclear status of Ukraine, its demilitarization and denazification, and the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. This initiative was rejected in Kyiv.