Moscow will not participate in a second peace summit planned by Ukraine for later this year, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on September 21. Kyiv organized the first peace summit in June in Switzerland with more than 80 countries backing a communiqué that called for Ukraine’s territorial integrity to be the basis of any peace agreement. Russia was not invited to that summit. Zakharova said any peace agreement should reflect the “situation on the ground and geopolitical reality.” Russia controls about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory. Ukraine last month invaded Russia, seizing a swath of territory that would strengthen its negotiating position in any eventual peace talks.
