Without Russia, Zelensky leads global meeting on peace in Ukraine

Heads of State from dozens of countries met this Saturday (June 15, 2024) in Switzerland to participate in the 1st day of the “Peace Summit in Ukraine”aiming to discuss strategies to promote a “just and lasting peace” in the country, which has been at war with Russia since February 2022.

Under the leadership of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the conference aimed to strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position, although Russia was not invited. The Kremlin criticized the holding of a peace conference without its participation, considering it “impossible”.

Before the summit, Russia imposed conditions on Friday (June 14) for a peace agreement, including the surrender of Kiev. Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a conditional ceasefire, dependent on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from areas partially controlled by Russia and Ukraine’s renunciation of membership in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). The conditions were rejected by Zelensky, who compared them to Adolf Hitler’s tactics.

The Ukrainian considered the Swiss summit a success. He highlighted the presence of more than 50 heads of state and around 100 delegations, including representatives from European bodies and the UN. He emphasized that international unity is crucial to achieving peace and expressed confidence that “We are witnessing History being made here at the summit”.

Latin American leaders such as Argentine president Javier Milei, Chilean Gabriel Boric, Colombian Gustavo Petro and Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa were present at the summit this Saturday (June 15). Only after Zelensky’s insistence did Brazil decide to send ambassador Cláudia Fonseca Buzzi. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) did not consider participating.

In addition to the absence of high-ranking members of the Brazilian government, there was criticism due to the lack of high-level representatives from countries allied with Russia in the Brics group, such as South Africa and India, and the absence of China, raising doubts about the practical progress of the summit.

The summit discussed topics such as nuclear security, with special attention to the Zaporizhzhya complex under Russian control, as well as humanitarian assistance, the exchange of prisoners of war and the repatriation of Ukrainian children illegally taken to Russia. Zelensky said he was confident of reaching an understanding on these points in future negotiations, which could be led by the UN.

Kamala Harris, US Vice President, announced more than US$1.5 billion in aid, focusing on the energy sector and the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, reaffirming the US commitment to the country during the conflict. Harris replaced President Joe Biden, who concluded his participation in the G7 summit in Italy.

During the G7, Biden signed a bilateral US-Ukraine security agreement with Zelensky, in addition to participating in events in France related to the 80th anniversary of World War II D-Day.