Media: the summit on the situation in Ukraine was in question due to the situation in Gaza

The “peace summit,” which Ukraine planned to hold before the end of 2023, may not take place due to the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. About it writes The Wall Street Journal, citing diplomatic sources.

Western diplomats say Ukraine’s desire to hold a summit to bolster international support is fading. Israel’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip has created new divisions between the United States, other Western countries and some of the leading Arab and emerging powers that Ukraine had hoped to win over. Politicians are now focused on other issues: freeing hostages, delivering aid to Gaza civilians and preventing an escalation of the conflict.

Following Ukraine peace meetings in Denmark, Saudi Arabia and Malta this year, Ukrainian and European officials had hoped to convene a leaders’ summit before the end of the year. That now seems unlikely, diplomats said.

The WSJ recalls that Ukraine tried to find a large “neutral” country for negotiations. In September, at the UN General Assembly, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky lobbied for the candidacy of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to host the event. South African officials later said it was “logistically impossible.” A few weeks earlier, a BRICS summit was held in South Africa, which was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

On November 2, the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Ermak announced that in Kyiv recognized the need to hold an additional consultative meeting of the national security advisers of the United States, Great Britain, Germany and France on the Ukrainian “peace formula”. The 10 conditions of the “Ukrainian peace formula” were first announced in November 2022 by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. The “formula” includes the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory, fixing the end of the conflict, as well as ensuring food, energy and nuclear security.

At the end of December 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov named this “world formula” is illusory. Based on it, Russia will not negotiate with anyone, he noted. In March 2023, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova statedthat the “peace formula” proposed by the President of Ukraine has nothing to do with peace. In August 2023 she addedthat resolving the conflict in Ukraine on the basis of this “formula” is impossible.