Kyiv (agencies)
Andriy Yermak, Director of the Office of the Ukrainian President, said the day before yesterday that Ukrainian officials have already begun preparations for organizing a second peace summit, after the first summit was held under the leadership of Ukraine earlier this week in Switzerland.
Yermak said in an online press conference that the summit will not be possible until member states develop a joint plan, a process expected to take several months.
“It will be possible to hold the second summit when we have a joint plan,” he added, adding that there is still a lot of work to be done.
The summit, hosted by Switzerland, witnessed the participation of more than 90 countries, but no country applied to host a next summit.
Moscow was not invited to this summit.
Yermak said that it is possible to invite a Russian representative to attend the second summit to present the peace plan decided upon by that summit.
Russia demands that Ukraine give up territory and its ambition to join NATO in exchange for peace talks, conditions that Kiev rejects.
Meanwhile, Ukraine hopes that the European Union will take “positive” decisions after the recent European elections, which witnessed the rise of the far-right, according to what the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said.
Yermak said in statements made by Yermak to journalists during a video conference, “I hope once again, given the position of the European community, that the main options and decisions of the European Council, the Commission and the European Parliament will be positive” for Ukraine.
The recent elections for members of the European Parliament were marked by the rise of the far right in several countries, including France and Germany, which are major supporters of Ukraine.
Regarding the parliamentary elections in France, where polls indicate that the far-right, which is closer to Moscow than the camp of President Emmanuel Macron, is the most likely to win, Yermack expressed his confidence in “the support of French society,” and Macron has become one of the European leaders most supportive of Ukraine.
In Germany, most representatives of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, and representatives of a left-wing party, boycotted a speech delivered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the Bundestag on June 11, in the wake of the European elections.
During a visit to Berlin on the occasion of an international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, the Ukrainian president expressed his concern about the electoral successes of parties “raising radical slogans,” and considered that this matter was “dangerous for your countries.”
The European Union and European countries mobilized funds totaling 85.5 billion euros for Ukraine, according to the French General Secretariat for European Affairs.
On the ground, Russian forces escalated their attacks yesterday near Turetsk, a town on the front line in eastern Ukraine that remained relatively calm during the last months of fighting.
The Ukrainian army said in a press conference that Russia “intensified” its attacks near Turetsk and “launched five offensive operations at once,” targeting the surrounding towns and villages.
Military analysts reported a Russian advance towards Turetsk, which had a pre-war population of about 32,000 people.
Yesterday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that its forces had “improved” their positions around Turetsk.
In recent months, Russian forces have made advances north and south of Turetsk, but the front line has remained relatively stable near the town.
According to the Ukrainian army, the increasing escalation in Russian attacks began “after a long period of calm.”
Donetsk Governor Vadim Velashkin announced on social media that Russian fire near the town of Pokrovsk to the south had killed one person and injured another over the past 24 hours.
He also said that 21 residential buildings were damaged near Turetsk, nearly double the number of the previous day.
Russian forces are also advancing toward Chasev Yar, a strategic hilltop town north of Turetsk, and its capture is likely to accelerate Russian gains toward Donetsk’s large civilian centers.
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