On June 15-16, a Global Peace Summit initiated by Ukraine will take place in Switzerland. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, 107 countries have already confirmed their participation. As Bloomberg reports, the summit aims to pave the way for involving Russian officials in future negotiations. Although Russian officials were excluded from the format at Kyiv’s request, the document seen by Bloomberg states that ending the war must involve all parties. “Therefore, we have agreed to take concrete steps that could help build trust, with the subsequent involvement of Russian representatives,” the document, which may be amended during the negotiations, says.
At the same time, Zelensky’s ‘peace formula’ will be condensed into three points during the event. Firstly, it’ll stress the importance of ensuring the safety of nuclear energy facilities and emphasise that any threat of using nuclear weapons should be seen as “unacceptable.” The formula would advocate for Ukrainian control over nuclear power plants, such as the Zaporizhzhia NPP, operating in alignment with the principles outlined by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The second point stresses that food security shouldn’t be “weaponised” and should ensure unrestricted navigation in the Black and Azov Seas. Ukraine should have access to third-party markets for its agricultural products. The third point highlights the imperative to release all prisoners of war, including deported and unlawfully displaced Ukrainian children and civilians, who must be repatriated to Ukraine.
Previously, Bloomberg journalists highlighted diplomats’ efforts to set more modest goals for the summit, aiming to secure the participation of China and other countries from the so-called Global South. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed the importance of managing expectations, stating, “We are not negotiating the end of the war there.” However, according to the publication, these objectives diverge from Ukraine’s peace plan, which prioritises respecting the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, withdrawing Russian troops, and ensuring the state’s future security.
“Putin would applaud”: Biden will not attend the Peace Summit
U.S. President Joe Biden will not attend the upcoming Peace Summit. Instead, Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will participate in the event. According to Politico, Ukrainians had hoped Biden would attend the summit, given his plans to attend the D-Day anniversary celebrations in Normandy and the G7 leaders’ meeting in Italy a few days before the event.
President Zelensky stated that Putin would greet the absence of the U.S. president “only with applause—personal, a standing ovation.” “I believe that the Peace Summit needs President Biden, and other leaders need President Biden because they will be watching the U.S. response,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Brussels last week.
Previously, he had also voiced criticism against China, accusing it of trying to assist Russia in undermining the event. Beijing refuted these allegations, asserting that the Global Peace Summit fails to meet its criteria, particularly the necessity of Russia’s participation. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, pointed out that China could potentially contribute positively to the summit’s diplomatic efforts if it chose to do so.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba highlighted Russia’s systematic efforts to disrupt peace summits worldwide. Kuleba elaborated, “Russia employs three types of counteractions. Firstly, it discredits the peace summit by sending letters, making public statements, and holding closed meetings where Russia tries to convince countries of its insignificance. Secondly, it attempts to persuade individual countries not to participate in the summit at all. And thirdly, it tries to convince countries that have confirmed their participation to attend at the lowest possible level,” as quoted by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
The minister pointed out that Russia is particularly active in its efforts to influence countries across Asia, Africa, and South America. However, he added that Ukrainian diplomacy is effectively countering Russia’s disruptive moves in various parts of the world.
