Ukraine is actively seeking to organize a second peace summit ahead of the U.S. presidential elections in November 2024, Bloomberg reports, citing anonymous sources.
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Urgency and U.S. Political Dynamics
The urgency for holding the summit stems from concerns over the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House. The former president, who is the leading Republican candidate, has previously stated his intention to end the war in Ukraine before his possible inauguration in January. Trump's past rhetoric includes opposing continuous military support for Kyiv, which has raised alarms within the Ukrainian leadership.
Trump’s Proposed Peace Plan
In late June, Reuters revealed that Trump’s advisors had presented him with a plan to coerce Ukraine and Russia into negotiations. The plan involves threatening Kyiv with a cessation of arms supplies while increasing military support to Moscow. Trump reportedly responded positively to this plan, which envisages a ceasefire along the existing frontlines at the time of negotiations. Furthermore, Politico reported that Trump’s strategy may include making concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin, potentially forcing Ukraine to cede some of its territories and halt NATO’s eastern expansion.
Conditions and Skepticism for a New Summit
Bloomberg's diplomatic sources in Western countries indicated that any new summit would require a "clear purpose" and "clear expectations of the outcome." Despite this, some American officials are skeptical about the feasibility of such a summit, especially with Russia's participation. The Russian Foreign Ministry has preemptively declined to participate in the proposed summit. A ministry spokesperson criticized the ongoing rhetoric and dismissed the "Zelensky formula" as a dead-end and ultimatum-based approach, while ignoring other initiatives to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.
Background and First Peace Summit
The first peace summit on Ukraine was held in Switzerland on June 15-16, 2023, without Russia's participation. The event saw representation from over 90 states and eight international organizations. Notably, China, a key ally of Russia, abstained from attending. During this summit, three of the ten points of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's "peace formula" were discussed, focusing on nuclear and food security, the exchange of prisoners of war, and the return of deported Ukrainian children.
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