Zelensky says Russia expected to attend second Ukraine conference

Three preliminary meetings will be held ahead of the conference, Zelensky told reporters in Kiev. According to him, the first meeting, to be convened sometime in late summer in Qatar, will be focused on energy security, while the second one, to be held in August in Turkiye, will be dedicated to the free navigation in the Black Sea. The third one, to be held in September in Canada, will be a platform to discuss prisoner exchange with Russia, the Ukrainian president said.

“After these three points, if they work out, a plan for the implementation of all points will be completed. I set the task so that in November, we will have a drawn-up plan … Everything will be ready for the second summit … We will be ready to hold the second summit as soon as possible, and I believe that Russian representatives should be present at the second summit,” Zelensky added.

The US has consulted with Ukraine on inviting Russia to the second Ukraine summit and will back Kiev’s decision on the matter, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.

“That’s something that we discussed with them but as we said before any decisions around diplomatic negotiations are decisions that Ukraine has to make,” Miller continued, adding, “It’s for Ukraine to decide when and how and in what shape to undertake diplomatic negotiations. As their partner, as their backer, we will support them if that’s the path that they choose to take.”

Switzerland hosted a high-level conference on Ukraine at the Burgenstock resort outside of Lucerne from June 15-16. Russia did not receive an invitation. The Russian officials have noted that they would skip the event in any case.

The Kremlin announced Tuesday Russia first needs to understand what Zelensky means when he says “peace summit” before accepting any invitation to talks.