Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his hope on Saturday to achieve “a just peace as quickly as possible” at the start of the first Ukraine peace summit being held in Switzerland, without Russia.
“Whatever is agreed [à ce sommet] will be part of the peacemaking process that we all need,” Mr. Zelensky said, adding: “We will see history being made at this summit.”
Some 90 countries are participating but this summit displays measured ambitions in the absence of Russia and China.
“Together we are taking the first step towards a just peace,” said the Ukrainian president, adding that “the world is stronger” than Vladimir Putin.
On Friday, the Russian president loudly invited himself into the conversation by demanding the de facto surrender of Ukraine before any peace talks.
“What we need is not a dictated peace, but a just and fair peace that takes into account the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” retorted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Saturday on the ARD channel, echoing the condemnations of the United States and NATO.
Mr. Zelensky denounced the “Hitler”-style “ultimatum” of the Russian president, who launched the invasion of the Ukrainian neighbor in February 2022.
“We want to inspire a process for a just and lasting peace,” declared Swiss President Viola Amherd, alongside her Ukrainian counterpart.
“As an international community, we can prepare the ground for direct discussions between the warring parties,” she added. If we want to inspire a peace process, Russia must also be involved at some point. This is clear to everyone.”
A second summit is planned, in which kyiv hopes that a Russian delegation will participate, Mr. Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, explained on Tuesday.
Second summit
The meeting, being held in the ultra-chic Bürgenstock resort perched above Lake Lucerne, will begin with a plenary session on Saturday afternoon, followed by dinner.
On Sunday, three subjects will be discussed in working groups: nuclear safety, freedom of navigation and food security, and humanitarian aspects, in particular the fate of Ukrainian children deported to Russia.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, who represents President Joe Biden returned to the United States after the G7 in Italy, came with aid of more than $1.5 billion, mainly for the energy sector and for aid humanitarian.
French President Emmanuel Macron will participate in the summit on Saturday alongside other heads of state and government from the G7 (Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom).
The Swiss hosts wanted to bring together as many countries as possible, particularly those from the Global South, but among the emerging BRICS countries, only Saudi Arabia is sending its head of diplomacy. Brazil, India and even South Africa have lower-ranking envoys.
As for China, it had warned that it would not participate as long as Russia was not in the round table.
Doubtful
In Ukraine on the eastern front of Donetsk, where violent fighting is taking place, soldiers are doubtful about this major diplomatic raid. Maxime and his unit of tankers would like to “hope” that the summit achieves something. “But experience shows that nothing will come of it,” the soldier told AFP.
In kyiv, Victoria “doesn’t have high hopes” either. “I would like us to find a path to peace, because I am exhausted by this war […] but I’m not very optimistic,” explains this thirty-year-old.
Experts are equally cautious.
“kyiv and its supporters will struggle to achieve tangible results from the meeting […] beyond the reaffirmation of the principles of territorial integrity of the United Nations Charter,” estimates the think tank International Crisis Group.
Billions and alliances
Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived on Friday evening, has just spent the last few weeks pleading his cause throughout the world and from the G7 to Italy with a loan of 50 billion dollars in his pocket.
The funds will be guaranteed by the interest earned on Russian assets frozen since the start of the invasion. For Vladimir Putin, it is “a theft that will not go unpunished”.
The Ukrainian president also signed security agreements with the United States and Japan on the sidelines of the G7, and is once again receiving weapons from the United States after long months of waiting which put his army in great difficulty.
Finally on Friday evening, the 27 gave their “agreement in principle” to the opening of EU accession negotiations.