U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a virtual panel discussion with world leaders on the eve of the second Summit for Democracy, to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
"Led a roundtable discussion with global leaders on Ukraine in advance of the #SummitForDemocracy," Blinken stated in a March 28 tweet. "With other foreign ministers, we expressed our support for President @ZelenskyyUa's vision for a just and lasting peace."
Blinken said Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine "to conquer their country, topple their democratically elected government, redraw their borders," according to a transcript of the roundtable talk.
"Indeed, President Putin’s overall objective was to erase Ukraine’s identity as an independent, sovereign nation and absorb it into Russia," Blinken said.
He called the war an attack on "the international rules-based order," and that its victims are worldwide, not only in Ukraine," according to the transcript.
"The Kremlin’s war has exacerbated acute food insecurity, already at crisis levels due to COVID-19, climate change, and other conflicts, putting millions at risk," Blinken said at the panel. "It pushed up the price of fertilizer, fuel, and food, making it harder for families in every part of the world to make ends meet."
He reiterated the U.S. commitment to diplomatic efforts to achieve a just and durable peace in Ukraine, and highlighted President Zelenskyy's proposal to end the war and restore Ukraine's sovereignty and democracy.
Blinken said Zelenskyy's plan would end the war, restore Ukraine's territory, respect its democracy and rebuild the country's infrastructure and economy, the transcript reports.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba participated in the panel to discuss the peace plan and the importance of fellow democracies standing with Ukraine.
Kuleba thanked the other participants and Blinken for the opportunity to speak about "Ukraine's vision for a just and lasting peace," the transcript reports.
He said Zelenskyy's "peace formula" is a "clear plan of action that should not only bring peace to Ukraine but also restore the world order based on the norms and principles of international law."
The minister said that while Ukraine leaders "appreciate" peace proposals put forth by other countries and 'their focus on a problem that jeopardizes global security," the transcript reports.
"However," Kuleba said, "I would like to emphasize that the Ukrainian people will accept peace only if it guarantees the cessation of Russian aggression in full, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, and the restoration of our state’s territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders."
Officials from countries participating in the virtual panel, including France, Israel, the Czech Republic, Italy and others, all expressed continuing commitment to supporting Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression.
