Ukrainian Foreign Minister Calls For Russia To Be Trailed Before 2023 Peace Summit

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for Russia to face a tribunal for war crimes before participating in a peace summit in early 2023, according to the latest media interview. Ukraine wants a peace summit by the end of February 2023, but Kuleba said Russia would not be invited if Putin rejects a war crimes tribunal in an international court.

Kuleba indicated that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could be the mediator for the peace summit. Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan, presented at the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last month, is likely to be followed. Russian leaders have said they are ready for peace talks, but Kuleba expressed doubts. Ukraine has long accused Russia of war crimes in the conflict. Zelensky said last month that more than 400 war crimes have been documented in occupied Kherson alone, and the president’s office has been pushing for a tribunal to prosecute Russia. Zelensky said earlier this month that “the cities and villages destroyed by Russia, destroyed destinies, broken and executed lives should be reflected in the sentences not only for those who directly committed all this, but also in the sentences for those who organized and started this aggression.”