MOSCOW, October 18. /TASS/. Negotiations at the level of national security advisers on ways to settle the conflict in Ukraine will be held in Malta at the end of October, the Ukrainian online newspaper European Pravda has reported, citing sources.
"(Head of the President's Office) Andrey Yermak is currently planning a new meeting of national security and political advisers in Malta," the newspaper quoted one of the sources as saying.
According to European Pravda, the meeting will last two days and will take place in late October. Negotiations on the exact list of participants are currently ongoing.
The newspaper notes that this will be the third meeting between the advisers, whose main task is to agree on holding a "Peace Summit" or another event in a multilateral format, at which the Ukrainian side expects to approve a "peace formula" based on Ukrainian proposals. The first meeting was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June, and the second in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in August.
The Bloomberg news agency earlier quoted its sources as saying that Ankara was preparing an international meeting on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. The sources said that national security advisers from various countries, including Jake Sullivan, a US presidential aide, would come to Istanbul for consultations. The Russian side was not invited to the meeting, and it is still unknown whether China will send its representative, the newspaper's sources said.
However, in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper published today, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that the meeting will not be held in Istanbul. He confirmed that it will take place at the end of October, but did not specify the venue.
Ukrainian formula detached from realities
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, speaking via video link to the participants of the G20 summit in mid-November 2022, put forward a so-called 10-point peace plan that does not take into account Moscow's position. It stipulates the complete withdrawal of the Russian Armed Forces from the 1991 borders and the return to Ukraine of control in the "exclusive economic zone" in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Kiev is actively trying to promote this plan. Specifically for this purpose, consultations were held on June 24 in Copenhagen and on August 5-6 in Jeddah. Russia was not invited to these meetings.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously emphasized that Zelensky's so-called peace plan was yet another US tactic to stir up conflict in Europe. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Zelensky's statements on a peaceful settlement were made without taking the real situation into account.