What Ukraine wants from the Swiss peace summit
Published: Wednesday, Jun 12th 2024, 14:51
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj and around 40 other heads of state and government from all over the world will gather on the Bürgenstock NW on Saturday and Sunday. The summit without Russia is intended as a "first step" towards peace in Ukraine. China and some other countries close to Moscow are absent.
Kiev is hoping for a global consensus at the summit in Switzerland that goes beyond Ukraine's western allies and also includes countries in the south courted by Moscow in order to increase the pressure on Russia. The Kremlin has swept any possible outcomes of this conference, which will take place at the hotel resort above Lake Lucerne following the G7 summit in Italy, off the table in advance.
Three central points
In an interview with the AFP news agency, President Zelensky highlighted "three key points" for the summit - the most consensual of his original 10-point peace plan, which has been pursued by Kiev and the West since 2022.
The first point concerns free navigation on the Black Sea for Ukrainian grain exports in order to ensure global food security. An issue that is close to the hearts of the countries of the so-called South.
The second point concerns nuclear and energy security in Ukraine, as Russian airstrikes have destroyed civilian infrastructure and the risk of a major nuclear incident due to the occupation of the Zaporizhzhya power plant in southern Ukraine remains.
The third point concerns the return of around 20,000 Ukrainian children who had been abducted to Russia. The International Criminal Court therefore issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin in spring 2023.
"If we come out of the summit with these three steps and the majority of countries agree, it means that Russia will no longer block them," said Selenskyj in the interview.
Invitation to Russian representative?
While around 90 countries have confirmed their participation, Russia has not been invited. The Kremlin condemned the summit as an "absurd" meeting. Ukraine's refusal to include Moscow was met with criticism, starting with China, which argued that it would be difficult to attend the summit without a Russian presence.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis reiterated on Monday that the summit was a first step: "There will be no peace process without Russia. The question is not whether Russia will be on board, but when".
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, said on Tuesday that Moscow could be invited at a later date once a "joint plan" had been agreed at the Bürgenstock. "We are considering the possibility of inviting a representative of Russia to the second summit and presenting this joint plan together".
Global South
With 160 delegations invited to the negotiations, Selensky wanted as many states as possible to take part in the talks, especially the so-called countries of the Global South that maintain relations with Moscow. To this end, he emphasized the colonial and imperialist character of the Russian invasion.
"The more countries of this kind we have on our side, on the side of the end of the war, I would say, the more Russia has to take that into account," he explained.
But Russia, whose influence in the countries of Central and West Africa is constantly growing, is also continuing its charm offensive in the South. Its economic forum in St. Petersburg was attended by delegations from Asia, Africa and Latin America last week.
Peace in 10 points
The conference builds on the ten-point peace plan presented by the Ukrainian president at the end of 2022 with the aim of achieving "a just and lasting peace based on international law and the United Nations Charter".
The plan includes the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, food, energy and nuclear security, the return of deported prisoners and children and the establishment of a special court for Russian aggression.
This plan is unacceptable to Moscow. Russia claims that it is prepared to negotiate peace if Ukraine cedes the five regions it occupies.
©Keystone/SDA
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