Kremlin officials are likely trying to shape an international peace mediation effort in the war in Ukraine, while demonstrating Russia's unwillingness to negotiate with Ukraine in good faith, according to a new report by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), UNN reports.
Kremlin officials are likely trying to shape international peace mediation efforts in the war in Ukraine while demonstrating Russia's unwillingness to engage in good-faith negotiations with Ukraine
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Analysts point to a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Saudi Arabia on September 9. the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Lavrov discussed the war in Ukraine with Vieira and Jaishankar, but did not provide details.
Brazil and China have been promoting their six-point peace plan, "Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis," whose key principles favor Russia, since May 2024. And Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently reaffirmed India's support for peace in Ukraine based on the principles of international law, such as respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states, ISW notes.
"However, on September 9, Lavrov repeated the Kremlin's boilerplate statements that demonstrate Russia's unwillingness to negotiate with Ukraine in good faith, saying that President Zelenskyy's 'Peace Formula,' which is indeed based on the principles of international law, is an 'ultimatum' and that Russia has never seriously considered the plan," ISW analysts note.
At the same time, the report notes that "Ukrainian officials have openly invited a Russian representative to participate in the second peace summit in Ukraine, which will take place later in 2024.