A two-day summit organized at Kiev's initiative to discuss conditions for ending the war in Ukraine ended in Switzerland on June 16. Delegations from 92 countries and eight organizations took part in the conference, Russia was not invited to the event.
According to the Bloomberg news agency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left Switzerland with a decision on a $50 billion loan to his country, as well as new security guarantees from the United States.
In an exclusive commentary for NEXTA, Oleksandr Musiyenko, head of the Center for Military and Legal Studies of Ukraine, said that the summit in Switzerland was "a truly outstanding event for Ukraine."
"Ukraine was able, despite the fact that Russia obstructed the holding of this summit. Ukraine was able to summarily gather more than a hundred states and organizations in one place to consider exactly the Ukrainian Plan. This is quite an important event from a political, diplomatic and informational point of view. As a result, the majority of states are ready to discuss the Ukrainian plan to end the war on the terms of international law," Musiyenko said.
At the end of the summit, the absolute majority of participants signed a communiqué that included three points of the Ukrainian "peace formula": the transfer of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant under Ukrainian control, ensuring Kiev's access to ports in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, and a full exchange of prisoners. The document notes that a dialog of all parties to the conflict is necessary to achieve peace.
Le Monde writes that the document reaffirms "the principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine," but does not contain steps toward real progress in a peaceful settlement, Le Monde notes.
"The conference ended with a timid final declaration that recalls the basic principles of international law trampled on by Russia. All these ideas have been around for a long time, but they do not mean a breakthrough in thinking or 'first steps,' to use a phrase that was repeatedly heard on the sidelines of the summit," the newspaper writes.
In the end, 78 of the 92 countries participating in the summit signed the final communiqué. Initially there were 80, but then it became known that Jordan and Iraq were removed from the list of signatories. The Swiss Foreign Ministry explained that these countries did not withdraw their signatures, as reported by a number of media, and they were initially added to the list by mistake.
Armenia, Brazil, India, Bahrain, Indonesia, Libya, Libya, Mexico, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, South Africa, South Africa and Vatican City also refused to sign.
India's Deputy Foreign Minister Pawan Kapoor explained that the country did not sign the final communiqué because it believes that options acceptable to all sides should be considered.
A Vatican spokesman said that the Holy See does not sign final declarations, which is consistent with its status as an observer.
The New York Times writes that the participating countries disagreed on how to interact with Moscow, but noted the need for "further interaction between representatives of all sides," implying Russia's participation in the discussions.
Swiss President Viola Amherd, where the summit was held, also concurred with this opinion.
Amherd emphasized that Putin's participation in the future conference on the Ukrainian crisis is quite possible, and as an "exception" one can disregard the warrant issued by the ICC for Putin's arrest.
"An exception can be made. In the case of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, it could be an exception," she said.
Swiss Foreign Minister Iñazio Cassis made a similar statement.
"It could be organized, it is possible according to our laws. Of course, we have to do it together with the International Criminal Court (ICC). But the host state can make exceptions on this issue," Kassis said at a press conference following the summit held in Switzerland.
Earlier, Kassis said that the second conference on Ukraine could be held before the US presidential election scheduled for November this year.
We will remind, the international criminal court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova in March 2023. They were accused of illegally deporting children from Ukraine to Russia. Switzerland has ratified the Rome Statute, according to which the ICC has jurisdiction in their country, which means that they must comply with the court's orders.
The Ukrainian side also admits Russia's participation in the discussion on ending the war.
The head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andriy Yermak, said that Kiev was not against talks with Moscow during the second "peace summit."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the action plan agreed at the first summit would be handed over to Russia so that a "real end" to the conflict could be fixed at the second meeting.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba, Kiev realizes that the time will come "when it will be necessary to talk to Russia".
"The idea is that the next summit should be the end of the war. And, of course, we need the other side at the negotiating table. Our job is for Ukraine to be in the strongest position at that time," Kuleba said.
