After Malta meeting, Kyiv official reveals progress on plan to end war, hold Russia to account

nv.ua: International delegations continued to flesh out Ukraine’s Peace Formula at the third meeting about the plan, which was held in Malta on Oct. 28-29, with the head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak reporting on Telegram about the results of the event.

The delegations discussed five key points of the Peace Formula (there are 10 in total): nuclear and radiation safety, food security, energy security, the release of all prisoners and deportees, and the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and world order.

The working groups have developed plans for each of these issues, Yermak said.

The meeting was held at the level of national security and foreign policy advisors, and was attended by representatives of 66 states and international organizations, Yermak wrote.

He said the meeting in Malta was a "logical continuation" of the two previous meetings on the peace formula in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).

This time, however, more states joined, including those from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In total, there were 66 delegations in Malta, while 42 delegations participated in the previous meeting.

With regard to nuclear safety, the working group discussed the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and the definition of technical conditions for the safe return of the plant to Ukrainian control.

The participants also talked about strengthening the role of the IAEA in monitoring compliance with the rules of operation of nuclear facilities and responsibility for non-compliance with international nuclear safety principles.

With regard to food security, the plan proposed at the meeting envisages the establishment of international security guarantees for uninterrupted food supplies. To this end, it is proposed to strengthen the protection of port and logistics infrastructure in Ukraine, to ensure the demining of sea routes in the Black Sea necessary for safe navigation to Ukrainian ports. The need to insure ships and cargo transported to and from Ukrainian seaports was also discussed.

The parties also presented a plan to return abducted Ukrainian children, civilian hostages, and prisoners of war. It envisages the establishment of an international monitoring group and the definition of a mechanism for collecting information about kidnapped children, civilian hostages, and prisoners of war, gaining access to their places of detention, as well as additional sanctions against Russia and its officials for violations of international humanitarian law and international pressure on Russia to provide the UN and the Red Cross with unimpeded access to Ukrainian prisoners.

The presented plan for the implementation of the clause on compliance with the UN Charter and the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the world order aims to improve the existing mechanisms for implementing the principle of respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty enshrined in the UN Charter.

To this end, it is proposed to reform the UN Security Council and limit the veto power; strengthen the role of the International Court of Justice by recognizing the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court in all disputes over violations of the UN Charter and ensuring immediate enforcement of its decisions; and create an early warning system for actions that violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

Ukraine also intends to organize a global summit on the Peace Formula.

What is the Ukrainian Peace Formula?

In November 2022, at the G20 summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented a 10-point peace formula, which includes, among other things, the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for aggression, and security guarantees for Ukraine.

The ten points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula are as follows:

• Radiation and nuclear safety;

• Food security;

• Energy security;

• Release of all prisoners and deportees;

• Implementation of the UN Charter and restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and world order;

• Withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities;

• Justice, i.e., a tribunal for those responsible for the aggression and compensation for damages;

• Immediate protection of the environment;

• Security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent escalation;

• Confirmation of the end of the war.