International Ukraine Meeting Concludes with Renewed Call for Peace, Yet Crucial Nations Reject Final Accord
Countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, who all have significant trading relations with Russia as part of the BRICS economic group, met over the weekend but refused to sign a joint agreement.
The document reinforced the agreeing parties' commitment to avoiding threats or using force against any nation's territorial integrity or political independence, emphasizing the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognized borders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the media alongside European Union leaders, Ghana, Canada, Chile, and Switzerland, stating that it was crucial for all summit participants to back Ukraine's territorial integrity, as lasting peace cannot be achieved without it.
Over 100 countries and organizations assembled at a picturesque lakeside resort near Lucerne to show support for the ten-point peace plan proposed by Zelensky late in 2022.
This plan demands an end to hostilities, the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian land, and the reversal of pre-war borders with Russia - requirements that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to comply with.
People of significance, such as the leaders of Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, were among the high-ranking attendees.
US Vice President Kamala Harris was also present, using the occasion to announce a $1.5 billion aid package to cover humanitarian expenses and assist in rebuilding Ukraine's damaged infrastructure.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the high attendance at the summit demonstrated the world's deep concern about the war instigated by Russia's aggression.
Despite the strong presence of Western democracies, questions had been raised ahead of the event as to what concrete outcomes could be achieved, considering that Russia and China, whose close trading relationship with Russia has helped the Kremlin sustain Western sanctions, were absent.
The published communique on Sunday revealed that the signatories had agreed on several other matters. Among them were allowing Ukraine to develop its own nuclear power plants, including the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and deterring Russia from both utilizing and threatening nuclear weapons. The parties also agreed that all forcibly displaced children and civilians should be returned to Ukraine.
On the day before the summit was set to begin, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Russia's own peace plan, which stipulates that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from four southern and eastern regions of Ukrainian territory that Moscow intends to annex in defiance of international law and requires Kyiv to renounce its desire to join NATO.
Although Russian forces have made some advances in two of the regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - they are still far from controlling all four, which include Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who traveled with Harris to Switzerland, told reporters at the summit that Putin's framework was morally unacceptable.
"He (Putin) stated that not only must Ukraine surrender the territory currently held by Russia, but Ukraine must also cede additional sovereign territory before negotiations can take place. Ukraine must disarm to be vulnerable to future Russian aggression. No responsible country could think that such conditions are a fair basis for peace," Sullivan explained.
Read also:
The meeting concluded with a call for peace in the world, particularly in Ukraine, and many European countries were key participants in this international initiative. The United Nations and numerous European nations, including France and the United Kingdom, strongly condemned Russia's occupation of Crimea and its aggressive actions towards Ukraine's territorial integrity.
