Russia: Will not attend second Ukraine peace Summit

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says Russia will not take part in a possible second Ukraine peace summit, saying it has nothing to do with resolving the conflict.

Zakharova said on the Foreign Ministry's website on Saturday: "Russian representatives have not participated in any meetings under the so-called Burgenstock process and do not plan to do so." It has nothing to do with real conflict resolution."

She added that the summit aims to promote Ukrainian President Volodymiy Zelensky's "unworkable plan" as the only basis for resolving the conflict, and as a platform to seek international support while issuing an ultimatum to Russia to surrender.

Zakharova reiterated that Russia does not reject the resolution of the crisis through diplomatic channels, and is willing to hold discussions that reflect the situation on the ground, the changing geopolitical reality, and the initiative presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 14.

"A fair and sustainable solution cannot be achieved without Russia, without taking Russia's interests into account," she said.

Zakharova also criticized Kiev and the West for focusing on war rather than peace, citing recent Ukrainian attacks on the Kursk region and a request for NATO to provide long-range weapons capable of penetrating deep into Russian territory.

On June 14, Putin stated the conditions for a ceasefire: "Ukrainian forces must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, Kherson and Zaporozhy regions... As soon as Kiev announces that it is ready to do so and begins to actually withdraw its troops and formally abandon its plans to join NATO, our side will immediately, in the same minute, order a ceasefire and start negotiations."

Zelensky plans to hold a second peace summit in November, to which he intends to invite Russian representatives.