Ukraine Peace Summit Opens in Switzerland
The Ukraine Peace Summit kicked off on Saturday in Switzerland with representatives from 92 countries and 8 international organizations gathering to discuss ending the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, aiming to pave the way for a lasting peace in Ukraine.
According to reports from Reuters, Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, as well as other nations will attend the Ukraine summit. India, Turkey, and Hungary, which have better relations with Russia, are also expected to participate.
The Swiss government announced on Friday evening that approximately 100 countries and international organizations’ representatives are expected to attend the summit, including 57 heads of state and government. Both Russia and China are excluded from the summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the focus of the summit will revolve around the broader implications of the war initiated by Russia, encompassing issues such as nuclear security, food security, and upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter.
Zelensky accused the Chinese authorities of aiding Moscow in disrupting the peace summit. Russia, on the other hand, claims that holding a peace summit without Russian presence is “futile.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that the Ukraine war will only end if Ukraine agrees to abandon joining NATO and relinquish the entire territory of four states, including Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine and its Western allies, including the United States, immediately condemned Putin’s demand. Zelensky even likened Putin to Adolf Hitler from World War II.
In an interview with the Italian broadcaster Sky TG24 on Friday, Zelensky said, “Putin’s conditions are an ultimatum, no different from past ultimatums. The only difference now is that we can clearly see this is a resurgence of Nazism.”
He added, “These messages echo Hitler’s messages. Less than a hundred years ago, Hitler said, ‘Give me a part of Czechoslovakia, and it will all end,’ but no, these are historical lies. Then he went to attack Poland, ‘Give me a part of Poland,’ and then he started occupying all of Europe.”
Supporters of Ukraine expressed that they will hold a series of events in Lucerne, Switzerland to raise awareness about the humanitarian disasters triggered by war, including marches and protests demanding the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war and children abducted by Russia.