(Kyiv) Some 90 countries and international organizations are meeting in Switzerland on Saturday and Sunday around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a summit designed as a “first step” for peace in Ukraine, but without Moscow or a priori Beijing.
Kyiv hopes for a global consensus going beyond its Western allies and bringing together southern countries that Moscow is courting to increase pressure on Russia. The Kremlin has brushed aside in advance the results of this conference which will be held in the Burgenstock hotel complex, in the wake of the G7.
In an interview with AFP last May, President Zelensky highlighted “three main points,” the most consensual of a 10-point plan supported by Kyiv and the West since 2022.
The first concerns free navigation in the Black Sea to ensure global food security by allowing Ukrainian grain exports. A theme dear to the so-called countries of the South.
The second concerns nuclear and energy security in Ukraine, while Russian strikes have demolished civilian infrastructure and the risk of a major nuclear incident remains due to the occupation of the Zaporizhia power plant.
The third point concerns the return of some 20,000 Ukrainian children deported to Russia, facts for which the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin in the spring of 2023.
“If we come out of the summit with these three steps and the majority of countries agree, that means that Russia will no longer block them,” Mr. Zelensky hoped to AFP.
While around 90 countries have confirmed their participation, Russia is not invited. The Kremlin denounced an “absurd” meeting.
This refusal to include Moscow sparked criticism, starting with Beijing, which argued that it would be difficult to attend the summit without a Russian presence.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis assured him on Monday that the summit was a first step: “There will be no peace process without Russia. The question is not if Russia will be on board, but when.”
Andriï Iermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, told him on Tuesday that Moscow could be invited at a later stage, once a “common plan” had been validated in Burgenstock.
“We are considering the possibility, during the second summit, of inviting a representative of Russia and presenting this common plan together.”
With 160 delegations invited to the negotiations, Mr. Zelensky wanted as many states as possible to take part in the discussions, in particular so-called southern countries with relations with Moscow. For this, he insisted on the colonizing and imperialist character of the Russian invasion.
“The more countries like this we have on our side, on the side of ending the war, I would say, the more Russia will have to take that into account,” he explained.
But Russia, whose influence continues to grow in the countries of Central and West Africa, is also continuing its charm offensive towards the South. Its St. Petersburg Economic Forum was attended last week by delegations from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The conference builds on the ten-point peace plan that the Ukrainian president presented 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, in particular, the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the withdrawal of Russian troops, food, energy and nuclear security, the return of prisoners and deported children, the establishment of a special court on Russian aggression.
For Moscow, this plan is unacceptable. Russia says it is willing to negotiate peace if Ukraine cedes the five regions it occupies.
