Zelenskyy's plea to world leaders from shattered Kharkiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged global leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, to attend the upcoming Global Peace Summit, in a video address recorded in English from the ruins of a printing house in Kharkiv destroyed by a Russian strike.

“For them (the Russians), it is a pleasure to burn. We all know who we are dealing with. Russia is run by men who want to make it a norm – burning lives, destroying cities and villages, dividing people and erasing national borders through war. There is no nation that can stop such war alone, unaided – world leaders’ engagement is needed,” he said, noting that Kharkiv has been living in constant terror for three years and Russia is only intensifying the shelling of the city.

“More than a million of people in this city. And every night and every day the Russian army is shelling the city. Mostly with S-300 missiles. These are air defense missiles that Russia employs to terrorize the land. There is not a single district or street in Kharkiv that hasn’t suffered from this regular cruelty. Russia added strikes with guided aerial bombs. Russian aviation comes close to our state border and launches these bombs straight on the city – it is a weapon of indiscriminate destruction. And anyone in any city of the world – from São Paulo to Harbin takes this the same way – as terror. Just like all other Russian strikes on hundreds of other of our cities and villages,” the president said.

Kyiv did not provoke this war: “Ukraine is defending itself from Russian attempts to seize our resources and territories and destroy our national identity. And the world sees it.”

“Global efforts are needed – the Global Peace Summit of the leaders whom Russia won’t be able to deceive. Summit that will show who in the world really wants to end the war and not just claim the ceasefire which will inevitably be broken by Russian rockets and artillery just like it was dozens, dozens of times before… Together with Switzerland, we are preparing such a Summit. It starts on June 15.” Zelenskyy said, adding that more than eighty countries have already confirmed their participation.

“I am appealing to the leaders of the world who are still aside from the global efforts of the Global Peace Summit – to President Biden, the leader of the United States, and to President Xi, the leader of China. We do not want the UN Charter to be burnt… burnt down just like these books. And I hope you don’t want either. Please, show your leadership in advancing the peace – the real peace and not just a pause between the strikes. The efforts of the global majority are the best guarantee that all commitments will be fulfilled. Please support the Peace Summit with your personal leadership and participation. For all of us, it should be a pleasure to make peace,” Zelenskyy concluded.

Global Peace Summit in Switzerland

The first Global Peace Summit will be held on June 15-16 in the Swiss resort town of Burgenstock near Lucerne.

80 to 100 countries are expected to attend, according to Bloomberg.

The Swiss government said in a statement that the goal of the summit is to "create a common understanding" of how to achieve a "comprehensive, just, and lasting peace" for Ukraine in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.

The summit is expected to include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and French President Emmanuel Macron. U.S. President Joe Biden might also participate.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on April 24 that Ukrainian intelligence had accurate information that Russia wanted to disrupt the peace summit.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated on May 1 that Russia was not invited to the Global Peace Summit because it cannot be guaranteed that the aggressor state will act in good faith.

Zelenskyy mentioned on May 3 that the summit would discuss a prisoner exchange of "all for all."

President Zelenskyy presented a ten-point peace formula at the G20 summit in November 2022.

It included, among other things, the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for aggression, security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as radiation, nuclear, and energy security, a strategy to counter ecocide, and other items.

Kyiv has invited foreign partners to take the lead in one of the plan's points.

Read also:

• Ukraine needs just peace, not merely any peace — President's Office

• Putin hopes to derail upcoming peace summit with talks of ceasefire — Kuleba

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine