Eighty countries on Sunday jointly called for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” as the basis for any peace deal to end Russia’s two-year war, although some major developing countries at the Swiss conference did not join.
The joint communiqué capped a two-day meeting in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, where Russia was not invited but many participants hoped it would be involved in drawing up a road map to peace.
About 100 delegations are in attendance, mostly from Western countries but also from major developing countries, and experts are watching to see how and whether they will support the outcome document.
None of the participants, including India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, represented by foreign ministers or lower-level envoys, signed the final document, which focuses on nuclear security, food security and nuclear security.
“Observer” country Brazil did not sign, but Turkey, which seeks to act as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine, did.
The final document said the United Nations Charter and “respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty … can and will be the basis for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Swiss President Viola Armheld, who chaired the event, said at the final press conference that the fact that an “overwhelming majority” of attendees agreed to the final document “shows what diplomacy can achieve”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the meeting as a “first step towards peace” and said the joint communique remained “open for inclusion by all who respect the United Nations Charter.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was “right” that the conference was titled “Pathways to Peace” because peace cannot be achieved in one step.
“This is not a peace negotiation because Putin is not serious about ending the war. He insists on surrender. He insists on giving up Ukrainian territory – even territory that he does not occupy today,” she said. “His insistence on disarming Ukraine leaves it vulnerable to future aggression. No country will accept these outrageous terms.”
Analysts said the two-day meeting may not have any concrete impact on ending the war because Russia, the country that leads and continues the war, is not currently invited. Russia’s main ally, China, was not present as it and Brazil jointly sought to pursue alternative routes to peace.
The meeting also sought to refocus attention on the war at a time when the conflict in Gaza, national elections and other issues have captured global attention.
The final statement focused on nuclear security, food security and prisoner exchange as three major themes. Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni said these constituted the “minimum conditions” for negotiations with Russia, suggesting there were many other areas of disagreement between Kiev and Moscow that would be more difficult to overcome.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani noted a day earlier how the wealthy Gulf state had held talks with Ukrainian and Russian delegations on reuniting Ukrainian children with their families so far. Thirty-four children have been reunited.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the resort on Saturday that it “will take effort” and that countries will step up their efforts, building on the efforts of countries like Qatar.
“This will bring attention to the international community, not just voices from the United States or Europe, but some unusual voices that believe that what Russia is doing here is not only reprehensible but must be reversed,” he said.
The Ukrainian government believes that 19,546 children have been deported or forcibly displaced, and Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova has previously confirmed that at least 2,000 children have been removed from Ukrainian orphanages.
“As a father of three, I am deeply concerned about the forcible transfer of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory,” Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic told a rally on Sunday.
“All of us here need to do more to get Ukrainian children back to Ukraine,” he added.
About The Author
