On March 13, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Russia would not attend the conference on Ukraine in Switzerland even if invited.
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| Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during a joint press conference in Istanbul on March 9. (Source: Getty) |
The reason Ms. Zakharova stated is that Russia does not intend to discuss the "Zelensky formula", which includes requests for Russia to withdraw troops, return the 1991 border, hold Russia responsible and other demands.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasized that any negotiations on Ukraine must take place after President Volodymyr Zelensky's decree banning negotiations with Russia was canceled.
Ms. Zakharova once again affirmed that Russia is ready for peace negotiations, but according to her, Switzerland is no longer a neutral country to become the location for negotiations.
Previously, on February 23, speaking before the United Nations General Assembly in New York (USA), Swiss Foreign Minister Cassis stated: "At Ukraine's request, we intend to organize a summit about peace for Ukraine. So I want to take this opportunity to invite all countries to work together towards that common goal.”
On March 9, during a joint meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, President Zelensky rejected the idea of organizing a peace conference with Russia's participation.
“We do not see the need for Russian representation at such a summit,” Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leader reiterated his old argument that a peace plan should be prepared by other countries without Russia's participation.
President Zelensky repeatedly stated that Kiev will only negotiate when Moscow accepts Ukraine's demands on the basis of the 10-point "peace formula" he outlined at the end of 2022.
