By Simon Lewis
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -China and Brazil on Friday pressed ahead with an effort to gather developing countries behind a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s dismissal of the initiative as serving Moscow’s interests.
Seventeen countries attended a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly chaired by China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, and Brazilian foreign policy adviser Celso Amorim.
Wang told reporters they discussed the need to prevent escalation in the war, avoid the use of weapons of mass destruction and prevent attacks on nuclear power plants.
“Russia and Ukraine are neighbors that cannot be moved away from each other and amity is the only realistic option,” Wang said, adding that the international community should support a peace conference involving both Russia and Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking later, after a meeting…
