The Ukraine peace conference, which took place over the weekend in Switzerland, ended with disagreements and without a clear condemnation of Russian aggression, writes focus.de. C. The Financial Times points out that the refusal of some countries of the Global South to sign the joint communique shows that Russia retains its international economic power and influence.
The final declaration was approved on Sunday by only 80 of the 93 participating countries. Countries such as Brazil, India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia disagreed with the declaration.
The two-page document denounces the threat of nuclear weapons, calls for the return of children abducted to Russia and demands unimpeded grain exports from Ukraine. However, the document does not explicitly condemn Russia for its attack on Ukraine, nor does it call on it to withdraw. Instead, the document refers to the UN Charter.
There is no clear statement regarding the next conference. However, the signatories support the inclusion of Russia in future consultations: “We believe that inclusion and dialogue between all countries is necessary to achieve peace”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that a second summit will follow soon. Proper preparation will only take months, not years, he promised at the final press conference after the two-day meeting in Bürgenstock. Some countries have already expressed their willingness to host such a summit. Saudi Arabia is considered the favorite.
The summit in Switzerland was the first top-level attempt to explore ways to peace after more than two years of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. The expectations were already scorched.
Hosts Switzerland have been trying for months to attract as many countries as possible to participate. 160 were invited, but just over 90 attended, with some countries only represented at ministerial level. Not even US President Joe Biden was present. The Swiss organizers tried to bring to the table as many countries friendly to Russia as possible. However, China, Moscow's most important ally, did not attend, Brazil sent only one observer, and India and South Africa were represented at ministerial level.
Among the countries that did not support the declaration were six countries from the G20 group: Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, India and Indonesia. Armenia, Bahrain, Thailand, Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Colombia and the Vatican also did not support the document.
Statements from Moscow just before the summit made clear how far away a peaceful solution is. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his terms for negotiations - the capitulation of Ukraine, which means that it gives up its territories, as well as its refusal to join NATO. Kiev and Western countries described Putin's demands as absurd. The path to diplomatic progress from here on remains unclear.