Ukraine wants a peace summit at the U.N. by the end of February

The Ukrainian government would like to have a “peace” summit held within two months at the United Nations with Secretary-General António Guterres as a mediator, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview on Monday.

“The United Nations could be the best venue for holding this summit, because this is not about making a favor to a certain country,” he said. “This is really about bringing everyone on board.”

However, he doesn’t anticipate Russia taking part. Asked about whether Ukraine would invite Russia to the summit, he said that Moscow would first need to face prosecution for war crimes at an international court.

“They can only be invited to this step in this way,” Kuleba said.

The U.N. gave a very cautious response, according to AP. “As the secretary-general has said many times in the past, he can only mediate if all parties want him to mediate,” U.N. associate spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez said Monday.

Kuleba said during the interview that Ukraine will do whatever it can to win the war in 2023.

“Every war ends in a diplomatic way,” he said. “Every war ends as a result of the actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.”