Russia-Ukraine War: Denmark Offers to Hold Ukraine Peace Summit

The Danish foreign minister said Denmark is willing to host a summit in July that aimed to find a solution to the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, the country’s top diplomat noted that such a conference could only be possible with engagement from India, China, and Brazil.

Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Monday that Denmark is willing to host a peace summit in July in an effort to end the war but that it would also need engagement from countries such as India, China, and Brazil. Rasmussen told reporters on the sidelines of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels that should Ukraine see the need to have such a summit, Denmark is open to hosting it.

“For starters, we need to put in some effort into creating a global commitment to organize such a meeting,” said Rasmussen, adding that Ukraine’s allies should not be the only ones attending the summit. “It is necessary to build interest and involvement from countries like India, Brazil, and China.”

Rasmussen said it remains to be seen if Russia would attend such a summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced a 10-point peace plan last year, which called on Moscow to completely withdraw its troops from Ukraine and to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. A proposal back in December to hold a peace summit in February never pushed through. Zelenskyy’s administration said in a statement on Sunday that the details of the implementation of the peace plan should be discussed at the proposed peace summit.

Rasmussen also welcomed the decision by the United States to support joint allied training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

Meanwhile, Washington said that the Russian Wagner mercenary group has sought to conceal its efforts on acquiring military equipment internationally to be used in the war in Ukraine and is also looking to transit such equipment through Mali. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters during a news briefing on the same day that the Wagner group is willing to use false paperwork to ship military equipment through Mali.

Miller added that while the US has not seen signs that the acquisitions were finalized, they are closely monitoring the situation. Miller also said that the US has sanctioned individuals and entities linked to supporting Wagner’s operations.

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