MOSCOW: Russia first needs to understand what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy means when he says “peace summit” before accepting any invitation to talks, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
Zelenskyy said on Monday that Russia should be represented at a second summit on the Ukraine conflict, following high-level talks last month in Switzerland that Moscow did not attend.
“The first peace summit was not a peace summit at all. So perhaps it is necessary to first understand what he means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Zvezda news outlet, responding to Zelenskyy’s comments.
Zelenskyy’s apparent welcoming of Russia to talks marks a change of tone from his conference in Switzerland, ahead of which the Ukrainian leader categorically ruled out inviting Moscow.
Leaders and top officials from more than 90 states gathered at a Swiss mountainside resort on June 15 for the two-day summit dedicated to resolving the largest European conflict since World War II.
China and Russia were absent.
The Kremlin sharply criticised the gathering, saying that any discussions on ending the conflict that did not include Russia were “absurd.”
Zelenskyy said on Monday that Russia should be represented at a second summit on the Ukraine conflict, following high-level talks last month in Switzerland that Moscow did not attend.
“The first peace summit was not a peace summit at all. So perhaps it is necessary to first understand what he means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Zvezda news outlet, responding to Zelenskyy’s comments.
Zelenskyy’s apparent welcoming of Russia to talks marks a change of tone from his conference in Switzerland, ahead of which the Ukrainian leader categorically ruled out inviting Moscow.
Leaders and top officials from more than 90 states gathered at a Swiss mountainside resort on June 15 for the two-day summit dedicated to resolving the largest European conflict since World War II.
China and Russia were absent.
The Kremlin sharply criticised the gathering, saying that any discussions on ending the conflict that did not include Russia were “absurd.”