Zelensky is not against participation of Russian representatives in second peace summit

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday he aimed to have a plan ready in November to enable Kyiv to hold a second international summit on his vision of peace in Ukraine, and he said representatives of Russia should attend, Reuters reports. Ukraine hosted delegations from 92 countries at a first summit in Switzerland last month to advance its blueprint for peace. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was not invited to the event and dismissed it as a non-starter. "I set a goal that in November we would have a fully ready plan," Zelenskiy told a press conference in Kyiv. "I think that representatives of Russia should be at the second summit." He made the remarks after returning from a visit to Washington for a NATO summit last week. U.S. officials discussed potential diplomatic negotiations with Zelenskiy during the summit, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, but said decisions on peace talks were Ukraine's to make. "We've always supported diplomacy when Ukraine is ready, but it has never been clear that the Kremlin is ready for actual diplomacy," Miller said at a press briefing. Ukrainian officials have said previously that Russian representatives could be invited to a follow-up summit. A Russian deputy foreign minister said last week that Moscow would not attend a follow-up summit. The Kremlin has been less categorical and said there was "no precise substance" regarding the idea of a second summit.