Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his stance on peace talks with Russia during a meeting with African leaders in Kyiv on Friday. He made it clear that negotiations can only take place once Russia withdraws its forces from the occupied territories in Ukraine. Despite the hopes of the African delegation to mediate an end to the ongoing war, Zelensky’s comments indicated that Kyiv’s position on peace talks remains unchanged.
During a joint press conference with the African delegation, Zelensky emphasized that engaging in negotiations with Russia while the occupier remains on Ukrainian soil would only result in freezing the conflict and perpetuating the pain and suffering endured by the Ukrainian people. He stressed the need for a genuine and lasting peace, which requires a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territories.
While reaffirming Ukraine’s commitment to its own peace initiative centered around a Russian withdrawal, Zelensky extended an invitation to the African leaders to participate in an upcoming international peace summit. This summit aims to bring together global stakeholders to find a comprehensive resolution to the conflict.
In a separate development, NATO defense ministers reached an agreement on measures to bring Ukraine closer to the military alliance during their meeting on Friday. However, the summit of top leaders scheduled for the following month will not extend full membership to Kyiv. The question of Ukraine’s potential NATO membership has been under consideration for more than 15 years, and it will be a significant topic of discussion at the upcoming summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that all member countries are in agreement that Ukraine will eventually become a NATO member. However, the invitation for full membership will not be discussed at the Vilnius summit. Instead, the focus will be on determining ways to enhance Ukraine’s relationship with the alliance and strengthen its ties to NATO.