KYIV: Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to US president Joe Biden and Chinese language chief Xi Jinping on Sunday to attend his peace summit as Ukraine struggles to stave off unrelenting assaults by Russia in its 27-month-old invasion.
Ukraine hopes to host as many international locations as doable at Kyiv-led talks in Switzerland subsequent month geared toward uniting world opinion on methods to halt the conflict and piling strain on Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has not been invited.
Zelenskyy spoke in an English-language video recorded within the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv, contained in the charred stays of a printing home that was destroyed on Thursday in a Russian missile strike. He mentioned greater than 80 international locations would attend.
Nevertheless it was unclear whether or not Biden could be there, nor has Beijing, which maintains shut ties with Moscow, mentioned whether or not it could attend.
A US official mentioned on Sunday that the USA will take part within the summit, however declined to say who or at what stage.
“I’m interesting to the leaders of the world who’re nonetheless apart from the worldwide efforts of the International Peace Summit – to President Biden, the chief of the USA, and to President Xi, the chief of China,” mentioned Zelenskyy.
“Please, present your management in advancing the peace – the true peace and never only a pause between the strikes,” he mentioned.
Zelenskyy added that the summit would “present who on the planet actually needs to finish the conflict.”
Kyiv, in its peace plan, requires a full withdrawal of Russian troops and a restoration of its internationally recognised borders, one thing Moscow considers a non-starter.
Final week, Russian sources instructed Reuters that Putin was able to halt the conflict in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the present battlefield strains.
In response, Ukrainian overseas minister Dmytro Kuleba mentioned that the Russian chief was “attempting to derail” the Switzerland occasion as a result of he was “frightened of its success.”
“His entourage sends these phony indicators of alleged readiness for a cease-fire even though Russian troops proceed to brutally assault Ukraine whereas their missiles and drones rain down on Ukrainian cities and communities,” he wrote on X.
Russia has beforehand mentioned it sees no level in Ukraine’s convention.
Russian advances
In latest months Moscow’s forces have made sluggish however regular beneficial properties alongside a number of components of the sprawling jap entrance and are trying to push deeper into the northeastern Kharkiv area after a floor incursion launched earlier this month.
The regional capital has been repeatedly hit by Russian bombs and missile strikes, together with the assault on the printing home that killed seven and one other on a DIY ironmongery shop on Saturday that killed a minimum of 14.
In his video tackle, Zelenskyy additionally mentioned that Moscow was gathering troops for brand new “offensive actions” additional northwest of Kharkiv alongside the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Ukraine’s military chief final week mentioned his forces had been getting ready for a doable Russian assault on the Sumy area that neighbours Kharkiv.
Ukraine hopes to host as many international locations as doable at Kyiv-led talks in Switzerland subsequent month geared toward uniting world opinion on methods to halt the conflict and piling strain on Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has not been invited.
Zelenskyy spoke in an English-language video recorded within the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv, contained in the charred stays of a printing home that was destroyed on Thursday in a Russian missile strike. He mentioned greater than 80 international locations would attend.
Nevertheless it was unclear whether or not Biden could be there, nor has Beijing, which maintains shut ties with Moscow, mentioned whether or not it could attend.
A US official mentioned on Sunday that the USA will take part within the summit, however declined to say who or at what stage.
“I’m interesting to the leaders of the world who’re nonetheless apart from the worldwide efforts of the International Peace Summit – to President Biden, the chief of the USA, and to President Xi, the chief of China,” mentioned Zelenskyy.
“Please, present your management in advancing the peace – the true peace and never only a pause between the strikes,” he mentioned.
Zelenskyy added that the summit would “present who on the planet actually needs to finish the conflict.”
Kyiv, in its peace plan, requires a full withdrawal of Russian troops and a restoration of its internationally recognised borders, one thing Moscow considers a non-starter.
Final week, Russian sources instructed Reuters that Putin was able to halt the conflict in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the present battlefield strains.
In response, Ukrainian overseas minister Dmytro Kuleba mentioned that the Russian chief was “attempting to derail” the Switzerland occasion as a result of he was “frightened of its success.”
“His entourage sends these phony indicators of alleged readiness for a cease-fire even though Russian troops proceed to brutally assault Ukraine whereas their missiles and drones rain down on Ukrainian cities and communities,” he wrote on X.
Russia has beforehand mentioned it sees no level in Ukraine’s convention.
Russian advances
In latest months Moscow’s forces have made sluggish however regular beneficial properties alongside a number of components of the sprawling jap entrance and are trying to push deeper into the northeastern Kharkiv area after a floor incursion launched earlier this month.
The regional capital has been repeatedly hit by Russian bombs and missile strikes, together with the assault on the printing home that killed seven and one other on a DIY ironmongery shop on Saturday that killed a minimum of 14.
In his video tackle, Zelenskyy additionally mentioned that Moscow was gathering troops for brand new “offensive actions” additional northwest of Kharkiv alongside the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Ukraine’s military chief final week mentioned his forces had been getting ready for a doable Russian assault on the Sumy area that neighbours Kharkiv.
