This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on August 2 that he hoped a Ukraine “peace summit” could be held this autumn and that this week’s talks in Saudi Arabia were a stepping stone toward that goal.
Zelenskiy told Ukrainian diplomats in a speech published on the president’s website that almost 40 countries would be represented at the meeting in Jeddah on Aug 5-6.
“We are working on making [the summit] happen this fall,” he said.
Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said his country is working for peace in Ukraine, but that neither its leader nor Russia’s is prepared to talk peace.
“Neither Putin nor Zelenskiy are ready,” Lula told foreign correspondents on August 2 at a news conference in Brasilia, adding that peace proposals he is seeking with other countries will be ready when Russia and Ukraine are willing to negotiate.
Lula has tried to form a group of neutral countries to get peace talks going.
He has been criticized for saying that Ukraine and Russia are equally responsible for the war.
