Ukraine wants Russia at peace table

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia should be represented at a second peace summit set for November after the first such gathering convened by Ukraine last month in Switzerland was held without Moscow’s involvement.

By Stefan J. Bos

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said that while Russia was not invited to the first peace summit, now is the time for Moscow to take a seat at the table.

He said that “the entire world, including Ukraine, wants Russia to join global leaders at a planned second peace summit to end the war in Ukraine.”

It means a u-turn for Kyiv as last month President Zelenskyy gathered leaders and top officials from dozens of countries in Switzerland without inviting Russia.

Yet with Russian forces gaining momentum on the front and aid from allies ebbing or in doubt, Zelenskyy has launched an ambitious diplomatic offensive to end the war grinding through its third year.

Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed or injured since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

And the supply of more Western weapons to Ukraine has done little to end the bloodshed in a nation that Zelenskyy says is longing for peace.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report: