A peace summit on Ukraine started in Switzerland, but the host’s decision not to invite Russia led to the non-attendance of some major countries, as the summit would turn into a routine discussion without the participation of Moscow, according to France 24.
The Swiss, however, insist that Russia should be involved at some point. Ukrainians also hope for Moscow to join the summit, according to a top adviser to Ukraine’s president.
However, many countries see the process as a largely symbolic attempt by Kyiv to rally the international community and demonstrate strength against its more heavily armed and manned adversary. Yet the summit raised the question of how to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict without Russia’s participation in the talks.
The war in Ukraine also led to international sanctions against Russia and increased tensions between NATO and Moscow. Moreover, the peace summit is taking place against the backdrop of Russian military successes and reports of its air superiority on the battlefield.
Swiss officials sent out about 160 invitations. They claim that some 90 delegations will attend the event, including UN members. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky led a diplomatic campaign in Asia and beyond to rally participants.
Some heads of state and government will also attend the summit. The delegations include French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
However, the head of the US, Ukraine’s main ally and contributor to its war, Joe Biden, will skip the summit because of a presidential campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles hosted by actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts on Saturday. US Vice President Kamala Harris and White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will attend instead.
Non-attendees of Swiss peace summit
Along with Russia, China will also not attend the peace conference at the Bürgenstock Resort overlooking Lake Lucerne on 15-16 June. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated it believed that both Russia and Ukraine should participate in any international peace conference of that kind.
Earlier, UN Secretary General António Guterres announced that he would not attend the conference on Ukraine due to personal commitments. German political analyst Christoph Herstel stated that the summit in Switzerland, to which even the UN secretary-general would not go, “does not make any sense.” Critics also argue that the meeting’s participants will not witness significant achievements towards peace without Russia.
Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Cambodia also declined to attend. Pakistan will probably skip the summit as part of its efforts to maintain “neutrality.”
In addition to not attending the conference, Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced that he would not go to the G7 summit taking place in Italy on 13-15 June, according to Saudi media.
The Crown Prince sent a message of gratitude to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for “the kind invitation he received.” However, he informed that he would not be able to participate due to “commitments related to overseeing the works of the Hajj season.”
Keith Krause, a professor of international security studies at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, stated that Ukraine needed to emerge from the conference with momentum. However, he expressed uncertainty about achieving any results at the meeting.
I don’t think anybody is particularly deluded that this is going to give birth to a new peace plan, or even to some kind of agreement that stops the hostilities on the battlefield.
The final list of participants is not expected until Friday evening. Question marks remain about how key developing countries, such as India, Brazil, and Turkey, might take part, if at all.
