Vice President Zelensky's Assistant Calls Ukraine's Peace Plan The Only Way To End War With Russia

Ukrainian military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Stafff. Adriana Diaz-Brown)

JAKARTA - The Kyiv peace plan is the only way to end Russia's war in Ukraine, while mediation efforts have passed, a top aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Chief diplomatic adviser Ihor Zhovkva told Reuters Ukraine was not interested in a ceasefire locking Russia's territorial gains, wanting the implementation of its peace plan, which envisions the full withdrawal of Russian troops.

He rejected the peace initiatives that China, Brazil, the Vatican and South Africa have been trying to deliver in recent months.

"There is no way the Brazilian peace plan, China's peace plan, South Africa's peace plan when you talk about war in Ukraine," Zhovkva said in an interview.

President Zelensky made a major effort to approach Southern countries this month, in response to peace measures from some of its members.

He attended the Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19, holding talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Iraq and other delegates.

Later, He flew to Japan to meet with leaders of India and Indonesia, key voices at Global South, on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, the main economic power in Hiroshima.

While Kyiv has strong support from the West in his fight against the Kremlin, he has not had the same support from Global South - a term that shows Latin America, Africa, and much of Asia, where Russia has invested diplomatic energy for years.

On the other hand, Moscow has strengthened relations with South's Global powers during the war in Ukraine, including by selling more of its energy to India and China.

In response to the Western embargo on imports of Russian oil by sea, Russia has been working to divert supplies from traditional European markets to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was in Nairobi on Monday hoping to complete a trade pact with Kenya, has repeatedly traveled to Africa during the war, with St. Petersburg will host Russia-Africa's summit this summer.

As a sign of how Ukraine is trying to challenge Russia's diplomatic influence, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba began his second war tour of Africa last week.

Zhovkva said winning support at Global South was a top priority. While Ukraine focused on relations with Western partners at the start of the invasion, securing peace was a matter of concern to all countries, he said.

He played down the prospect of calling for dialogue with Russia created by Pope Francis, who described Ukraine's occupied territory as a "political issue".

"In this open war period, we don't need a mediator. It's too late for mediation," he said.

Zhovkva said the reaction to Ukraine's 10-point peace plan was very positive at the G7 Summit.

"There is not a single formula that raises concerns from countries (G7)," said Zhovkva.

Kyiv wants G7 leaders to help bring as many South Global leaders as possible to the Kyiv proposed " Peace Summit" this summer, he said, adding that locations were still being discussed.

Russia said it was open to peace talks with Kyiv, which stalled months after the invasion. However, they insisted that each talk should be based on a "new reality", meaning an annexation announced over five fully controlled or partially controlled Ukrainian provinces, a condition Kyiv would not accept.