Kyiv [Ukraine], October 23: Ukraine is continuing preparations for a peace summit to end the war unleashed on it last year by Russia, President VolodymyrZelensky said on Saturday after talks with his Turkish counterpart RecepTayyip Erdogan.
The next step will be another meeting of national security advisers from several of Ukraine's allies that is scheduled to take place in Malta on October 28-29.
During those talks on the "peace formula," Turkey will also contribute "its authoritative voice and stance," Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after his telephone consultations with Erdogan.
Zelensky has framed this formula, which stipulates a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, as the only viable initiative for ending the war. Peace initiatives from numerous other countries, including China and Brazil, have been largely dismissed by Ukraine.
In August, representatives from around 40 states attended a major meeting on the Ukraine peace formula in Saudi Arabia. Russia was not invited. Ukraine plans to organize a fully-fledged peace summit by the end of the year.
Zelensky thanked Erdogan for his staunch support in the fight for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He did not provide details of the meeting planned in Malta.
However, according to earlier statements from Kiev, the event is also likely to be about Western security guarantees against future aggression by Russia.
Ukraine has defended itself with Western help for nearly 20 months since the full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
The head of the presidential office in Kiev, AndriyYermak, said in the summer that Russia should not be involved in negotiations until it withdraws its troops from Ukraine.
The Russian leadership rejects this as unrealistic and regards any negotiations without Moscow's participation as futile.
Meanwhile, at least six people were killed in a Russian attack on the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine on Saturday evening, according to official Ukrainian figures.
Another 14 people were injured, some seriously, said Kharkiv regional Governor OlehSyniehubov, in comments he posted on Telegram.
Zelensky expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, calling for a tough response to "Russian terror." "We must increase pressure on the terrorist state," he wrote on Telegram.
"We must confront Russian terror every day on the front lines with our results, we must further strengthen the unity of the world in the fight against terror."
Source: Qatar Tribune