Italy and Switzerland have stated that achieving a ceasefire requires the participation of both sides in the conflict.
The foreign ministers of Italy and Switzerland have announced their intent to collaborate in laying the groundwork for a second ‘Ukraine peace summit’ that would involve Russia, as outlined in a joint statement published on both nations’ Foreign Ministry websites on Monday.
The initial summit, hosted by Switzerland in June, primarily centered on Kyiv’s ‘peace formula’, which demanded that Russia withdraw its forces from all territories claimed by Ukraine. Moscow dismissed this plan as “detached from reality.”
The conference was boycotted by several countries, including China, which argued that the absence of Russia rendered any discussions pointless.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky stated that while Russia was not invited to the first conference, the majority of the world desires Moscow’s participation in the planned second event in November.
“Achieving peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties,” the joint declaration by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and his Swiss counterpart, Ignazio Cassis, said.
The ministers agreed to maintain contact and cooperation to establish “the best possible conditions for a second peace summit involving all parties, including Russia, and all relevant global actors,” the declaration stated.
The officials reiterated points from June’s peace conference, in which all parties involved in the conflict were urged to release all prisoners of war and ensure food and nuclear safety.
President Vladimir Putin has stated that Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region is an attempt for Kiev, “with the help of its Western masters,” to strengthen its negotiating position. “But how can we talk about negotiations with those who conduct indiscriminate strikes on civilians, civilian infrastructure, or try to threaten nuclear energy facilities?” Putin said at a top-level meeting on Monday.
Kiev launched a large-scale cross-border incursion into the Russian region last week, the biggest attack of this kind since the beginning of the conflict. Two Ukrainian drone strikes damaged the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, damaging one of the cooling towers, Rosatom reported on Sunday evening.
The offensive into Russian territory was an attempt to divert attention away from Donbass, where Ukrainian forces have been losing ground to Russia for months, Putin said. By hitting Kursk Region, Kiev attempted to strike at the morale of the Russian population, he said, adding that the incursion has had the opposite effect, boosting recruiting for the army.