Could the impossible peace in the Caucasus end the war in Ukraine?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants Ukraine’s proposal to end the war ready to be presented to the Russian government by the end of this year.

On June 16, during the Swiss Peace Formula Summit, the Ukrainian president stated that the next and final summit with his allies should be held in “months, not years”.

This second meeting should produce a document which will be then presented to Moscow and President Vladimir Putin by the so-called “third countries” on behalf of Kyiv. 

But who would those third countries be? And what is Russia's stance on Zelenskyy's peace formula? 

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Kremlin officials are likely trying to shape international peace mediation efforts in the war in Ukraine while demonstrating Russia's unwillingness to engage in good-faith negotiations with Kyiv.

Moscow repeatedly stated that Russia has never seriously considered the plan, calling Zelenskyy's peace formula an "ultimatum".

Yet, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended the Russia–Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Joint Ministerial Meeting of Strategic Dialogue in Saudi Arabia on 9 September, likely as part of the Kremlin's efforts to advance the creation of its envisioned “Eurasian security architecture”.

The ISW previously assessed that Moscow's proposal of Eurasian security architecture is consistent with Russia's long-term strategic goal of disbanding Western unity, disbanding NATO from within, and destroying the current world order.

In Saudi Arabia, Lavrov met with his counterparts from Brazil and India, countries often mentioned as those who could play an important part in ending the war in Ukraine. 

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 has emphasised the