Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived on June 5 on an official visit to Qatar for talks with the Qatari leader regarding the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia.
Zelenskiy said Qatar "helps Ukraine return children kidnapped by Russia" and that he planned to hold talks with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani about continuing this work within the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children and a peace summit that is scheduled to take place in Switzerland later this month.
Qatar has been actively involved in preparations for the peace summit and is expected to become one of the Middle East's voices for the return of people, global food supplies, and nuclear and energy security, Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
He also planned to discuss bilateral economic and general security issues with Thani.
Zelenskiy spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov said 107 countries and international organizations had confirmed their participation in the June 15-16 summit at which Ukraine hopes to win broad international backing for its vision of the terms needed to end the war with Russia.
Nykyforov said on June 3 that Zelenskiy recently took part in the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, where he met with the leaders of several countries in the region who subsequently confirmed their participation in the summit.
The spokesman also confirmed that three points of Zelenskiy’s peace formula -- nuclear safety, food safety, and the return of children who have been forcibly taken to Russia -- will be emphasized at the summit, and Ukraine expects a dialogue on these issues.
Russia has not been invited to the peace summit. Moscow has said that without its participation the talks will be meaningless. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that any actions regarding Ukraine that "ignore Russia's position" are "detached from reality."
The White House announced on June 4 that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will represent the United States at the summit. Kyiv on June 5 welcomed the announcement despite having urged President Joe Biden to attend.
"It is important news that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has been confirmed to participate in the peace summit to be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland," Andriy Yermak, head of the president's office, said in a statement.
Zelenskiy had earlier said that if Biden did not attend the summit it would be like "applauding" Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
