Geneva (agencies)
About 40 world leaders announced their intention to participate in a peace conference on Ukraine that will be held on a Swiss mountain next weekend. The Swiss government, which will organize the talks at a resort in the Burgenstock Mountains on Lake Lucerne, said that about 160 presidents and prime ministers were invited to participate in the conference.
Swiss President Viola Amherd said in Bern yesterday that about 40 countries will be represented by lower-level officials, and representatives of the United Nations and other organizations will also participate in the conference.
Amherd added: “We want to develop a road map on how the two parties can meet in a future peace process.”
The Swiss government describes the summit as a “peace conference,” but an agreement is not expected to be reached between the warring parties, especially due to Russia’s non-participation. China, along with other countries with close relations with Moscow, will also not participate in the conference.
The goal of the summit that Kiev requested to organize is to “inspire a future peace process,” but the outcome of the meeting remains uncertain. A source in the German government warned that “it is important to avoid exaggerated expectations.”
The Kremlin denounced the conference as a Western propaganda event. However, diplomats and the Swiss government believe that this conference may be a prelude to further talks that may eventually include Russia. Amherd said that humanitarian issues, freedom of navigation and food security will be discussed at a high level during the talks on June 15 and 16. Many leaders are scheduled to head to Switzerland following their participation in the G7 summit in Italy, which begins next week, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, but US President Joe Biden will send his deputy, Kamala Harris, to represent him at the conference.
Ukraine hopes to obtain broad international support by setting the conditions it believes are necessary to end the war.
The conference is based in particular on the 10-point peace plan presented by the Ukrainian president, with the aim of identifying means to achieve a “just and lasting peace.”
Yesterday, when presenting the conference program to the media, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said, “We dare to talk about peace.”
The “Conference on Peace in Ukraine” will be held following the G7 meeting scheduled for June 13-15 in southern Italy, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate. G7 leaders hope to reach an agreement on how the frozen Russian assets can be used to help Ukraine.
After the G7 meeting, Zelensky will join representatives of more than 90 countries and organizations in Switzerland, including French President Emmanuel Macron, US Vice President Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“The conference is a first step, but there will be no peace process without Russia,” Cassis said. The question is not whether Russia will participate in it or not, but rather when.
Bern refrained from inviting Russia to participate in this conference, as Moscow expressed its lack of interest, considering that Switzerland had deviated from its policy of neutrality by supporting European sanctions.
The Kremlin has repeatedly said that it will not participate in any negotiations if Kiev does not accept Russia’s annexation of about 20 percent of the Ukrainian territory it currently controls.
It is noteworthy that India is the only country among the members of the BRICS group that has publicly confirmed its participation in the Switzerland conference, while China and Brazil find it difficult to attend the conference in the absence of Russia, while South Africa’s participation remains uncertain.
The conference comes as Russian forces announce field gains with the large-scale ground attack they launched on the Kharkiv region on May 10, where they took control of a number of villages and towns.
The conference comes as Russian forces announce field gains with the large-scale ground attack they launched on the Kharkiv region on May 10, where they took control of a number of villages and towns.
The Ukrainian army, which lacks ammunition and personnel, faces difficulty in confronting Russian forces, especially due to delays in the delivery of Western military aid.
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