Ukraine peace summit set to begin in Switzerland

World 15 June, 2024 13:47

The Summit on Peace in Ukraine is set to start Saturday in Burgenstock in Switzerland with the participation of 100 states and organizations from around the world.

Although the two-day summit aims to "develop a common understanding of a path towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," according to the Swiss Foreign Ministry, Russia's absence creates the question about how it is possible to achieve a path for peace without having one of the parties at the table.

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis argued that peace is not attainable in the absence of Moscow ahead of the summit. "I have been very clear from the beginning: there can't be a peace process without Russia. We need to say that very clearly," he said.

It is not clear how much those remarks will be reflected in a possible final declaration following discussions, but according to a draft document circulating in the media, it might say future peace negotiations should involve "representatives of all sides."

The summit will build upon discussions such as the Ukrainian peace formula, along with other proposals focused on implementing key principles of international law.

The "overarching objective" of the summit is to inspire a future peace process, according to the Swiss Foreign Ministry.

To achieve it, the summit intends to not only provide a platform for dialogue on ways toward a "comprehensive, just and lasting" peace for Ukraine based on international law and the UN Charter but also promote a common understanding of a possible framework to reach that goal and define a roadmap on how to involve both parties in a future peace process.

Nuclear safety, food security and humanitarian issues, such as the plight of prisoners of war and civilian detainees, will be among the points to be discussed.

Swiss President Viola Amherd will make media statements with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prior to the start of the summit.

In accordance with Ukraine’s request, Switzerland has extended an invitation to more than 160 international delegations to participate in the summit.

The Foreign Ministry announced Friday that 100 of them -- 92 states, including 57 heads of state and government, and eight international organizations -- will participate.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, French President Emmanuel Macron and the leaders of Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain, Canada, and Japan are among those set to take part. Türkiye will also be participating at the foreign minister level.

Although Moscow showed clear disinterest since the announcement of the summit, criticizing Switzerland's neutrality, Russia did not receive an official invite.

"Russia has indicated many times that it has no interest in participating. Therefore, no formal invitation was issued to Russia," the ministry said in explaining the situation.

China is also not participating after calling into question how effective the summit can be at creating the foundations for a peace process in Russia's absence.