Holding a "peace summit" on Ukraine without participation of Russia is impossible, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said, commenting on Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba's recent proposal.
"Firstly, Foreign Minister Kuleba said Ukraine proposed to hold some 'peace summit' until the end of February ... Secondly, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry issued a lengthy statement that Russia had become a member of the UN and the Security Council illegally ... If we try to combine these two pieces of news, they are contradictory. What could be the 'peace summit' without Russia," Polyanskiy wrote on Telegram on Monday.
The diplomat also noted that it is "very easy" to imagine holding such a summit without Ukraine, which could be the disastrous scenario for those Ukrainian officials who come up with these initiatives.
On Monday, Kuleba said Ukraine would like to hold a "peace" summit by the end of February, preferably at a UN site with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as a possible mediator. According to Guterres' office, he is ready to mediate in the Ukraine summit issue only if all parties, including Russia, agree to that.
