Vladimir ROSTOTSKY, Russian political scientist
In just a few days, the Global Peace Summit will be held in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, near Lucerne – peace conference for Ukraine. Leaders of more than 70 countries have already confirmed participation in the Summit, including Argentina, Chile, Ghana, Kenya, Qatar, UAE, Korea, Japan and others. Most countries will be represented at the leadership level. Among the main participants are British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as US Vice President Kamala Harris and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
However, Russia is not losing hope of derailing the Global Peace Summit. Thus, the aggressor state once again emphasizes the importance of the meeting and its concerns about the decisions of the leaders who will attend it, as well as the fear of global international pressure. This is not surprising, because during the global peace summit, world leaders will be able to demonstrate their determination in putting pressure on Russia to end Europe's bloodiest war since World War II. The founding document of the meeting, the Ukrainian Peace Formula, also called the Zelensky Peace Formula, has the potential to become a fundamentally new solution in the field of security, to become the basis for establishing lasting peace and updating the principles of international law.
Urgent issues that will be discussed at the meeting are an emphasis on energy and nuclear security, free navigation and the "all for all" prisoner exchange, as well as the return of children deported from Russia, writes the Czech publication Aktualni zpravy
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The Ukrainian “Peace Formula“ from the outset caused great irritation in Moscow. And to discredit the global peace summit, the Kremlin is using a multi-stage information campaign. It is worth noting that even Putin participated in the final stage - which confirms the concerns of the Russian leadership about the Summit. Thus, after Putin's visit to China, the leader there lost interest in the summit, and Putin himself began to comment on current issues at the meeting, trying to impose his point of view on the same countries of the Global South, among which there are many Russian satellites and/or financial debtors of the Kremlin.
In addition, Russia tried to discredit the Meeting already at the stage of its preparation. Some European and Swiss media, with the support of propagandists from Moscow, called the summit an "expensive meeting" from which no results should be expected. The recent European Parliament elections were also subject to interference from Moscow, with Russia activating openly pro-Russian politicians who happily embraced Russian narratives about the summit and military support for Ukraine. After all, for many far-right forces in Europe, the Ukraine issue is a trigger. Moscow is trying to divert Europe's attention from Ukraine by creating conditions in which leaders are forced to deal with domestic political issues instead of supporting Kiev.
Political life in Europe is developing in the context of Russia's constant attempts to interfere with the work of critical infrastructure (Swiss authorities registered an increase in cyber attacks before the meeting), Russia's attempts to take control of the information space and thereby influence to different segments of society, in particular youth and migrants. Russia is resorting to the theory of reflexive control, a propaganda technique it has been using since the time of the USSR, and therefore Moscow is now the main enemy, demanding that Europe mobilize all efforts, resources and capabilities to the maximum.
Such an example was the attempted arson of city buses in Prague. According to media reports, the detained suspect is a Spanish national from South America. The latter fact is quite remarkable in the context of the summit. The clash of the “North“ with “South“ and the discrediting of the people of the “Global South” in the eyes of Europeans is Moscow's real goal. Russia could conduct similar operations across Europe. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, at a meeting with representatives of the Podolsk Voivodeship in Bialystok, said that ten people were detained on suspicion of subversion and sabotage. Poland is also experiencing migrant pressure on its border with Belarus, where a Polish soldier was recently killed. At the same time, the Kremlin categorically denies its participation in such provocations.
European representatives should focus their attention on systematic opposition to Russia and continued support for Ukraine, both during and after the meeting. Kiev must receive resources to end the war, namely weapons and funds, as well as receive clear messages from the international community that indicate different vectors for the country's recovery and development. Proceeds from the frozen Russian assets should become the basis for the long-term recovery of Ukraine.
At the same time, we must talk about restoring the country to modern, innovative principles. Further artificial delay of Ukraine's accession to the EU could have negative consequences for Europe, which risks being left alone with Russian expansion. For its part, Ukraine, having extensive experience in confrontation with Russia in various forms, can give an impetus to the renewal of the European security architecture.