Kiev Recognizes Need for Talks with Moscow to Resolve Conflict

Both sides' voices need to be heard to settle the conflict, Dmitry Kuleba said

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytry Kuleba Turkish President Office/TASS

© Turkish President Office/TASS

MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. Russia's presence at the negotiating table is necessary to end the conflict in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told reporters at the Swiss conference on Ukraine.

According to him, it is obvious that "both sides are needed" to settle the conflict. "Of course, we understand perfectly well that the moment will come when it will be necessary to talk to Russia," the top diplomat said.

He also acknowledged the different views of Western countries and the Global South on how to end the conflict. "Yesterday there were voices from the Global South about the difficult compromises that need to be made. This is not the language we hear from Western partners," the foreign minister added.

On June 15 and 16, Switzerland hosted a conference on Ukraine at the Burgenstock resort. Bern invited more than 160 delegations, including those from the G7, G20 and BRICS countries. Russia was not among the invited participants.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly emphasized that the Ukrainian crisis cannot be resolved without Moscow's participation, and therefore the Swiss conference is unpromising.