Ukrainian officials want Russia to face prosecution for war crimes before peace talks can take place
By Paul Best
Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, stated on Monday that his nation wants to host a peace summit at the UN by the end of February but believes that Russia should first stand trial for war crimes in a foreign court.
“Every war has a diplomatic resolution. The decisions made on the battlefield and at the negotiating table determine how every war is resolved, “Kuleba said on Monday to the Associated Press.
Given that this summit is not being held as a favor to any particular nation, the United Nations may be the ideal location.
Kuleba suggested that at a potential peace summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres could act as the mediator.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy laid out a 10-point peace plan at the G20 summit last month, including the release of all prisoners of war, the withdrawal of Russian forces and cessation of hostilities, nuclear safety and the “establishment of the Special Tribunal regarding the crime of Russia’s aggression.”
Kuleba said Monday that Russia “can only be invited to this step in this way,” referring to a war crimes tribunal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed in an interview with state television on Sunday that Moscow wants to negotiate but Kyiv has refused peace talks.
“We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them. We are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are,” Putin said in the interview.
Zelenskyy tweeted on Monday that he discussed the “peace formula” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has sought to establish a stronger partnership with Russia in recent months.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, which was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council, concluded in October that an “array of war crimes, violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have been committed in Ukraine.”
The commission determined that Russian forces are responsible for a “vast majority” of the violations but that Ukrainian troops “have also committed international humanitarian law violations in some cases.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
