Nov. 15 (UPI) — President Volodymyr Zelensky laid out Ukraine’s so-called peace formula before world leaders gathered in Bali, Indonesia, on Tuesday, saying Kyiv’s recent recapture of Kherson from Kremlin forces was their D-Day, and that “now is the time when the Russian destructive war must and can be stopped.”
The wartime leader of the Eastern European country spoke to a summit of the G20 via video link a day after making a surprise visit to Kherson city, the administrative center of Kherson Oblast, one of four Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed to have annexed amid his nearly nine-month-long war.
Ukrainian forces last week were able to recapture the city from retreating Russian forces, and Zelensky told the world leaders that the military victory was reminiscent of previous battles that preceded the end of wars, such as the allies invasion of Normandy, France, that marked the beginning of the end for Nazis Germany during the second world war.
“This is exactly what we are feeling now,” he said.
Zelensky told the summit that since “the victory will be ours” they should implement his “formula for peace” in order to save thousands of Ukrainian lives and prevent further global destabilization.
The recapture of Kherson occurred as the warring sides have commented on the potential for peace talks, and Zelensky reaffirmed Tuesday that Ukraine should not be asked to compromise “its conscience, sovereignty, territory and independence.”
“And if Russia says it supposedly wants to end this war, let it prove it with actions,” he said.
The proposal Zelensky presented includes 10 conditions that need to be addressed to end the war, beginning with ensuring nuclear and radiation security at Ukraine’s power facilities, including Europe’s largest nuclear plant, where Russian troops have been based since early in the war.
It also calls for expanding the number of Ukrainian ports permitted to export foodstuff under a United Nations-brokered agreement that has already seen millions of tons of grain leave the country since the summer in an effort to limit food insecurity worsened by the war.
Other issues include ensuring Ukraine’s energy supply, the release of all prisoners and the repatriation of tens of thousands of Ukrainians who were forcibly deported to Russia and the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The last four conditions include holding Russia accountable for war crimes, implementing environmental projections, concrete efforts to prevent an escalation in fighting and, finally, a confirmation that the war has ended.
Zelensky said his plan can be executed quickly, with the amount of time needed to complete each condition ranging from a couple of days to a month at most.
“It will save thousands of lives. It will restore the validity of international law. It will revitalize the security architecture. It will return the global stability, without which the world is suffering,” he said. “In essence — this is what the honest countries of the world are cooperating for.
And if Russia opposes our peace formula, you will see that it only wants war.”
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