The "peace formula" that was put forward by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is obstructing proposals on Ukraine from China, Brazil and African countries, said Alexey Polishchuk, the head of the Second Department of the CIS countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry, APA reports.
"Meetings in the ‘Copenhagen format’ and Zelensky's ‘formula’ usurp the right to peace initiatives and prevent the advancement of reasonable proposals from other countries, including the ideas of our Chinese, Brazilian and African partners. As such, they are essentially hindering the settlement process," the diplomat said in an interview with TASS.
He said the fourth meeting on Ukraine in the "Copenhagen format" was held in the Swiss city of Davos on January 14. According to the diplomat, these meetings are held by the West in order to "expand the anti-Russian camp of supporters of the Kiev regime and Zelensky's 'formula,' and drag as many countries of the global South and East into it as possible."
"It's not working out well," Polischuk stated.
The diplomat said that despite the steady expansion of the number of participants in these meetings, many join them only as observers and attend them remotely.
"Very many do so under a powerful pressure from the US and other Western countries. However, few of them support the final draft documents, and the organizers cannot achieve their adoption. More and more countries realize it doesn’t make sense to discuss the Ukrainian settlement without Russia," he said.
Polishchuk added that many countries realize "the absurdity of the situation, remembering Zelensky's decree that banned negotiations with the Russian leadership."
"The 'Copenhagen format' has no future due to the flawed nature of Zelensky's 'formula,’" the diplomat said.
"Let me remind you that at its core there are ultimatum demands to Russia, which are detached from reality, for the withdrawal of troops to the borders of 1991, prosecution, reparations. The Kiev leadership demands the withdrawal of Russian troops and at the same time makes loud statements threatening the destruction and eviction of the Russian people living in these territories. Those who share this demand should bear in mind Kiev's intentions to carry out such ethnic cleansing," he said.