It opened in Switzerland, in the prestigious Burgenstock resort on Lake Lucerne, the Peace Conference in Ukraine which arrives immediately after the end of the G7 summit. The event sees the participation of 57 heads of state and government and about 100 international delegations, including European and United Nations bodies. A Peace conference, marked, however, by absences of the Russian president Vladimir Putin, who was not invited, and of China, who boycotted the event in protest at Russia's exclusion. China reiterated that Russia and Ukraine should "meet halfway" to start peace talks in a timely manner. The US president won't even be there Joe Biden who sent his deputy, Kamala Harris. Turkey and Saudi Arabia have sent their foreign ministers, while major developing countries, such as Brazil (an observer of the event), India and South Africa, will be represented at lower levels. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky However, until the end of the event, he will try to involve as many countries as possible to start a real peace process.
“We will not be able to decree peace for Ukraine today but we hope to start the process, "Said Viola Amherd, President of the Swiss Confederation.
Summit in Switzerland, final statement: "all parties are needed for peace"
Il Joint Communiqué, released at the end of the first day of the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland, states that “achieving peace requires involvement and dialogue between all parties”. The text highlights the suffering caused by Russia's war against Ukraine and reiterates the commitment to uphold international law and the United Nations Charter.
Reaffirmed the commitment to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of any state, upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Ukraine, and the peaceful resolution of disputes according to the international law.
The summit planned a path divided into plenary sessions and discussions on three key themes:
- Nuclear Safety: Ukrainian nuclear facilities must operate safely under the sovereign control of Ukraine.
- Food security: Food production and supply must not be interrupted, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov is paramount.
- Prisoners of War and Civilians: All prisoners of war must be released and illegally deported Ukrainian children must be returned to Ukraine.
The Kiev media, however, have underlined that the joint statement from the Summit, released tonight by the international press, is a draft dated June 13, and no official agreement has yet been reached between the participants. It could be adopted without everyone's consent, with disputes over specific words in the text. For the head of the office of the Ukrainian presidency, Andriy Yermak, however, there is a clear consensus among the participants.
However, opinions differ: the Foreign Minister ofSaudi Arabia warns that “difficult compromises” will be necessary to achieve peace, while the president of Kenya he criticized both Moscow's aggression and unilateral appropriation of Russian assets.
Zelensky: “We will send peace plan to Moscow”
Zelensky stated that, once agreed upon a joint plan, the intention is to present it to Russia. The plan recently proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin was obviously rejected, which included Kiev's request to renounce the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, as well as Ukraine's non-membership of NATO.
“We are evaluating the possibility of present a joint plan to Russia's representatives at the second peace summit,” he said Yermak, stressing that Moscow will have to get involved sooner or later. The next summit may be held in Saudi Arabia, but this requires Russia's acceptance of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, including the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Kremlin remains frozen. “We don't want to communicate any message, we want to get together next time for a more substantial and constructive event,” said the tsar's spokesperson Dmitri Peskov.
The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fida, said that the Swiss summit on peace in Ukraine would be “more results-oriented” if Russia had participated. During the summit's plenary session, Fidan called the Lucerne talks "a glimmer of hope", but underlined the need for global and inclusive strategy based on diplomacy and negotiations, citing Ankara's wheat negotiations as an example of an effective diplomatic solution.
1,5 billion from the USA for civil aid to Kiev
During the summit, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced a civil aid package to Ukraine worth 1,5 billion dollars. This financing is intended to repair war-damaged energy infrastructure, expand energy production, and attract private investment, with the goal of protecting energy infrastructure. On the humanitarian front, the funds will be used to respond to urgent needs of refugees, internally displaced people and conflict-affected communities, including food assistance, health services, shelter, and sanitation for millions of vulnerable Ukrainians in and around the regions.
The summit reaffirms Ukraine's territorial integrity
Il final release of the Peace Summit for Ukraine in Lucerne reaffirmed “the territorial integrity of Ukraine”, stressing that “dialogue between all parties is necessary to put an end” to the conflict. He is then prompted complete exchange of prisoners of war and the return of children deported from Russia. The document denounces the militarization of food safety and insists on the safety and security of Ukrainian nuclear facilities, including the Zaporizhzhia power plant, under the sovereign control of Ukraine and with the supervision of the IAEA. Furthermore, any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the conflict is declared inadmissible.
“Any use of nuclear energy and nuclear facilities must be safe, secure, safe and environmentally friendly. Ukrainian nuclear power plants and facilities, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, must operate safely and securely under the full sovereign control of Ukraine and in line with the principles of the IAEA and under its supervision,” the statement reads. . "Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine is inadmissible".
The final communiqué not signed by Brazil, India and Saudi Arabia
The statement was signed by 80 countries out of 92 present: Countries that do not appear on the list are Armenia, Brazil (observer), Colombia, the Vatican (observer), India, Indonesia, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The list of signatories includes the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe but no other international organizations.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro kuleba, underlined the importance of Saudi Arabia's participation, despite previous speculation about its absence, and Ukraine's commitment to building an international consensus around the peace formula. “The next summit should lead to the end of the war and we need the other side to be at the table: our task is to bring Ukraine to that table as strong as possible,” the Ukrainian foreign minister said. “We are at war, we don't have time, the work for the next summit must take months, not years” explained Zelensky, explaining that “when we are ready, there will be a new summit and some countries have already offered to host it”.
Peskov: "negotiations only with legitimate Ukrainian government"
On the Russian side, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Zelensky should consider Putin's peace offer, despite the Ukrainian president being considered an illegitimate leader to sign an agreement.
“Zelensky should think about Putin's peace offer, because the military situation in Kiev has worsened,” Putin's spokesman said. “Russian President Vladimir Putin does not reject negotiations with Ukraine, but their outcome must be approved by the legitimate Ukrainian government. Volodymyr Zelensky does not belong to this category. However, Putin does not reject anything, he does not reject the possibility of negotiations, according to the country's constitution,” Peskov added.
The Ukrainian president responded: “La Russia and its leader are not ready for peace. However, Putin made a big mistake, useful for us, because his words, his so-called peace plan, showed that he is not interested in peace, and this was recognized here even by countries with different visions."
Last update 17,15am
