Russia says it will not attend the next peace summit

Russia announced that it would not participate in any further editions of the peace summit held in June under the patronage of Switzerland, describing the process as a “fraud,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on September 21.

Moscow was not invited to the June summit, which was attended by more than 90 countries, dismissing the discussions as irrelevant without its participation. President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed hope for another meeting by the end of the year, aimed at including Russia.

Zakharova criticized the summit on Telegram, saying, “This process in itself has nothing to do with the agreement. It is another manifestation of deception by the Anglo-Saxons and their Ukrainian puppets.” She emphasized that Russia is open to considering “really serious proposals” that take into account the “situation on the ground,” an obscure reference to Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions, none of which it fully controls.

Zakharova accused Ukraine and its Western allies of being disinterested in pursuing peace, referring to Ukraine’s recent invasion of Russia’s southern Kursk region and Zelensky’s constant requests for Western long-range weapons. She said Ukraine and its Western allies “were not thinking about peace.”

Ahead of the June summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined the terms of the negotiations, which included Kiev surrendering four regions currently claimed by Moscow. Russia has said it will not engage in the talks as long as Ukrainian forces remain in the Kursk region.

Zelensky has a plan to end this Russia’s War with Ukraine’s victory. Kyiv remains tight-lipped about the details of the plan as Zelensky prepares to present it to U.S. President Joe Biden and American presidential candidates during his upcoming visit. The plan is expected to cover military, political, diplomatic and economic strategies.