MOSCOW, August 7. /TASS/. By promoting Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s "peace formula," Kiev and the West are trying to play down the initiatives of other countries, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
"By promoting Zelensky’s ‘formula,’ the Kiev regime and the West are trying to downplay the great importance of initiatives put forward by other countries and monopolize the right to present them," she noted, commenting on the Jeddah meeting on Ukraine.
According to the diplomat, "Zelensky’s formula" is a meaningless ultimatum to Russia. "None of its ten points is designed to find a solution to the crisis through talks and diplomatic efforts, while all of them together make up a meaningless ultimatum to Russia, aimed at prolonging military activities. It is impossible to resolve the issue on such a basis," Zakharova added.
However, she pointed out that Russia appreciated the mediation and humanitarian initiatives coming from "our friends in the Global South." "Unlike the Kiev regime, which broke off and banned talks with Russia, we have been and remain open to resolving the crisis diplomatically, and we are ready to respond to truly serious proposals," the diplomat went on to say.
Zakharova emphasized that the Russian Foreign Ministry had taken note of the consultations on the Ukrainian crisis "that were held in the Saudi city of Jeddah on August 5-6, initiated by the Kiev regime and the Group of Seven nations."
According to her, Russia expects that its like-minded countries from the BRICS group (Brazil, India, China and South Africa) and other partners will share their evaluations of the meeting. Zakharova also stressed that without inviting Russia and "taking its interests into account, no meeting on Ukraine will have any added value at all." She noted that it was only possible to find a comprehensive, sustainable and fair solution to the conflict if "the Kiev regime puts an end to military activities and terrorist attacks, while its Western sponsors stop pumping the Ukrainian armed forces with weapons."
"The original foundations of Ukraine’s sovereignty should be reaffirmed, that is, its neutral, non-aligned and nuclear-weapon-free status," the Russian diplomat said. "The new territorial reality, which came to be as a result of residents of new Russian regions exercising their right to self-determination enshrined in the UN Charter, should be recognized," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman maintained. "There is a need to ensure the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, and the rights of its Russian-speaking citizens and ethnic minorities in accordance with the country’s domestic legislation and international laws," she added. "We are confident that the implementation of these elements is fully in line with the idea of international peace and security, which is what Russia is fighting for," Zakharova concluded.