Zelensky meets leaders of Argentina, Kenya on sidelines of global peace summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) welcomes Kenyan President William Ruto (R) prior to their meeting as part of Ukraine's peace summit near Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 15, 2024. (Alessandro Della Valle / Pool / AFP)

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Argentine President Javier Milei and Kenyan President William Ruto on the sidelines of Ukraine's global peace summit in Switzerland on June 15.

Officials from over 100 foreign governments and international organizations gathered in Lucerne, Switzerland for a two-day summit focused on Zelensky's peace formula, a 10-point plan outlining Kyiv's conditions for an end to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

Zelensky and Milei met during the summit to discuss the peace formula, ongoing bilateral cooperation, and trade, the president said via Telegram.

"We appreciate the broad presence of Latin American countries at the summit," Zelensky said.

Read also: Zelensky: All parts of the world represented at peace summit

Zelensky also thanked Argentina for recently joining the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia during the war.

Milei is reportedly planning to visit Kyiv later this month in what would be the first visit of a South American leader to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.

Kenya's President William Ruto also met with Zelensky on the sidelines of the peace summit on June 15. The leaders discussed food security and the development of Ukrainian-Kenyan cooperation in agricultural exports.

The two countries are considering "Kenya's possible participation in the creation of hubs for Ukrainian grain in African ports," Zelensky said.

Russia's attacks against Ukraine's port and grain infrastructure following its withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal have posed serious risks to global food security, disproportionately impacting African nations.