(Burgenstock) The vast majority of countries gathered at the first Ukraine peace summit reiterated their support for Ukraine’s independence and territorial sovereignty while recognizing that Russia will need to be part of the discussions to achieve “a lasting and just peace”.
More than two years after the Russian invasion, the vast majority of the hundred or so participants gathered since Saturday in a hotel complex in the center of Switzerland managed to agree on a final communiqué outlining avenues to put an end to the largest European conflict since the Second World War.
But the question of “how and when to involve Russia” remains open, acknowledged the President of the Swiss Confederation and host of the summit, Viola Amherd.
The text reaffirms “the principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine.” He denounces “the militarization of food security” and calls for the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia.
He also calls “to involve all parties” to the conflict to put an end to hostilities, while Russia and its Chinese ally snubbed this first summit.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian president expressed the hope of uniting the international community around a peace proposal that he could possibly present to Moscow.
“We must decide together what a just peace means for the world and how it can be achieved in a lasting way,” he said on Saturday.
The summit is being held while Ukraine is in military difficulty. The call for surrender launched the day before the summit by President Vladimir Putin was, however, sharply rejected by a majority of participants.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Ukraine should “think” about the Russian president’s proposal, assuring that it was not an “ultimatum” but “an initiative of peace that takes into account the realities on the ground.”
The discussions in Switzerland are based on the points of Mr. Zelensky’s peace plan presented at the end of 2022 which there is consensus and on UN resolutions.
The diplomatic success of the summit comes in particular with the release of American military aid, after months of procrastination and a loan of 50 billion dollars guaranteed by frozen Russian assets.
On Sunday, the delegations divided into three working groups on pressing issues: nuclear security, global food security including ensuring freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.
“We have seen around 20,000 Ukrainian children taken from their families, their communities and their country. It is horrifying to say that, and how can the world turn its back on that?” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said indignantly.
The text also calls for all illegally detained Ukrainian civilians to be “returned to Ukraine.”
Discussions on food security focused on the crisis in agricultural production and exports, which created a food and inflationary shock at the start of the war, with Ukraine being one of the world’s grain baskets.
The final communiqué emphasizes that “food security must not be militarized in any way” and that freedom of navigation on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov must be guaranteed.
Discussions included not only the destruction of fertile land, but also the risks posed by mines and unexploded ordnance.
“Finding a political solution in Ukraine remains crucial for stabilizing food prices on the global market,” Switzerland stressed.
The final communiqué also calls on Ukraine to have “full sovereign control” over the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly warned of the risk of a major nuclear disaster at this facility controlled by Russian forces.
“Ukrainian nuclear power plants and facilities, including the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, must operate safely under the sovereign and full control of Ukraine,” the statement said.
For French President Emmanuel Macron this was one of the priorities of the summit.
“The next conference absolutely should not take place without Russia. We have to talk to the enemy,” said Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar, joined by Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Emmanuel Macron also called for “expanding the circle of countries” around the discussion table.
But in the eyes of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Vladimir Putin “is not interested in peace.”