The AP Interview: Ukraine FM aims for February peace summit - The Associated Press - en Español

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s overseas curate connected Monday said that his authorities is aiming to person a bid acme by the extremity of February, preferably astatine the United Nations with Secretary-General António Guterres arsenic a imaginable mediator, astir the day of Russia’s war.

But Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press that Russia could lone beryllium invited to specified a acme if the state faced a warfare crimes tribunal first.

Kuleba besides said helium was “absolutely satisfied” with the results of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s sojourn to the U.S. past week, and helium revealed that the U.S. authorities had made a peculiar program to get the Patriot rocket artillery acceptable to beryllium operational successful the state successful little than six months. Usually, the grooming takes up to a year.

Kuleba said during the interrogation astatine the Foreign Ministry that Ukraine volition bash immoderate it tin to triumph the warfare successful 2023, adding that diplomacy ever plays an important role.

“Every warfare ends successful a diplomatic way,” helium said. “Every warfare ends arsenic a effect of the actions taken connected the battlefield and astatine the negotiating table.”

Kuleba said the Ukrainian authorities would similar to person a bid acme by the extremity of February.

“The United Nations could beryllium the champion venue for holding this summit, due to the fact that this is not astir making a favour to a definite country,” helium said. “This is truly astir bringing everyone connected board.”

On Dec. 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine planned to initiate a acme to instrumentality the Ukrainian bid look successful 2023.

At the Group of 20 acme successful Bali successful November, Zelenskyy presented a 10-point bid look that includes the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the merchandise of each prisoners, a tribunal for those liable for the aggression and information guarantees for Ukraine.

Asked astir whether they would invitation Russia to the summit, helium said that Moscow would archetypal request to look prosecution for warfare crimes astatine an planetary court.

“They tin lone beryllium invited to this measurement successful this way,” Kuleba said.

About Guterres’ role, Kuleba said: “He has proven himself to beryllium an businesslike mediator and an businesslike negotiator, and astir importantly, arsenic a antheral of rule and integrity. So we would invited his progressive participation.”

The overseas curate again downplayed comments by Russian authorities that they are acceptable for talks.

“They regularly accidental that they are acceptable for negotiations, which is not true, due to the fact that everything they bash connected the battlefield proves the opposite,” helium said.

In comments released Sunday connected Russian authorities television, Putin claimed that his state is acceptable for talks to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine, but suggested that the Ukrainians are the ones refusing to instrumentality that step. Despite Putin’s comments, Moscow’s forces person kept attacking Ukraine — a motion that bid isn’t imminent.

Zelenskyy’s sojourn to the U.S. was his archetypal overseas travel since the warfare started connected Feb. 24. Kuleba praised Washington’s efforts and underlined the value of the visit.

“This shows however some the United States are important for Ukraine, but besides however Ukraine is important for the United States,” said Kuleba, who was portion of the delegation to the U.S.

Ukraine secured a caller $1.8 cardinal subject assistance package, including a Patriot rocket battery, during the trip.

Kuleba said that the determination “opens the doorway for different countries to bash the same.”

He said that the U.S. authorities developed a programme for the rocket artillery to implicit the grooming faster than accustomed “without immoderate harm to the prime of the usage of this limb connected the battlefield.”

While Kuleba didn’t notation a circumstantial clip frame, helium said lone that it volition beryllium “very overmuch little than six months.” And helium added that the grooming volition beryllium done “outside” Ukraine.

During Russia’s crushed and aerial warfare successful Ukraine, Kuleba has been 2nd lone to Zelenskyy successful carrying Ukraine’s connection and needs to an planetary audience, whether done Twitter posts oregon meetings with affable overseas officials.

On Monday, Ukraine called connected U.N. subordinate states to deprive Russia of its presumption arsenic a imperishable subordinate of the U.N. Security Council and to exclude it from the satellite body. Kuleba said they person agelong “prepared for this measurement to uncover the fraud and deprive Russia of its status.”

The Foreign Ministry says that Russian ne'er went done the ineligible process for acquiring rank and taking the spot of the USSR astatine the U.N. Security Council aft the illness of the Soviet Union.

“This is the opening of an uphill battle, but we volition fight, due to the fact that thing is impossible,” helium told the AP.

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