The Ukraine Peace Summit held in Switzerland on Sunday (June 16) aimed to generate as broad support as possible for ending the Russia-Ukraine war. 80 countries reached a consensus on the joint communiqué, urging the consideration of Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” as the basis for any peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, though some developing countries in attendance did not join this call.
At the request of Ukrainian President Zelensky, over 90 countries and international organizations participated in the two-day peace talks held at a resort in the Swiss Alps. Russia, not invited, made clear it did not want to participate, deeming the summit a waste of time. The absence of the Chinese Communist Party, a supporter of Russia, was also noticeable.
According to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and the BBC, the joint communiqué of the summit drew a conclusion to the two-day peace summit in Switzerland. The final document regarding the summit stated, “‘The UN Charter’ and ‘respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty… may and will become the foundation for achieving comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine.'”
Attributing the widespread suffering and destruction of the war to Russia, Ukraine saw this as a major success.
Swiss President Viola Amherd, the host, stated at a press conference, “The ‘overwhelming majority’ of participants reaching consensus on the final document shows ‘the achievements diplomacy can attain.'”
Ukrainian President Zelensky praised the summit for taking the first step towards peace and remarked that the joint communiqué still welcomes all countries that respect the “UN Charter.”
Countries like India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, represented by Foreign Ministers or lower-ranking envoys, did not sign the final joint communiqué. The focus of the communiqué was on nuclear security, food security, and prisoner exchanges. The ‘observer’ country Brazil also did not sign, while Turkey did.
Austrian Prime Minister Karl Nehammer expressed before the release of the joint communiqué that the wording of the final document was not expected to have unanimous support among participants.
“In my view, not everyone will sign the communiqué because it’s another issue of specific wording, but even those who do not sign the communiqué have clearly stated that their position is the same, that the war must end,” he said.
“The more allies say ‘This cannot continue,’ ‘This is too much,’ ‘This is crossing a line,’ the more moral pressure on Russia increases,” Nehammer added.
Among the attending nations were not all of Ukraine’s closest supporters, including Saudi Arabia and Kenya. The former’s Foreign Minister warned that Ukraine would have to make difficult compromises in this war, while the latter openly opposed recent sanctions against Russia.
Despite this, the summit highlighted Ukraine’s broad support from allies and underscored the challenges in achieving a lasting ceasefire. Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukraine’s territory in this conflict.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated that the participants were united in seeking peace for Ukraine.
“We all know we’re just getting started, the beginning of the path to peace,” he said. “Even though some of us at this table have different views on how to truly achieve peace in Ukraine, don’t get it wrong… we have a common vision in terms of principles, values, and sense of justice.”
“You don’t invade another country. You don’t kidnap children. You don’t exploit the world’s food supply for political games. You don’t endanger nuclear security,” he said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking to journalists about the final communiqué, stated, “The content is balanced, and all the principled positions Ukraine has insisted on were taken into consideration.”
Some leaders left the summit early, with the focus of Sunday’s talks on nuclear security, food security, and the return of prisoners and children taken by Russian forces during the conflict, seeking a common position.
One core goal of organizers from Switzerland and Ukraine was to announce the host country for the forthcoming summit on Sunday. Saudi Arabia was viewed as a popular choice.