Despite some important developing nations attending a European meeting not participating, 84 countries called on Sunday for the “territorial dignity” of Ukraine to be the foundation for any peace deal to end Russia’s two-year war. The outlook for diplomacy is still undetermined.
Over 90 nations showed up for the two-day talks, which were held at a Swiss Alpine location at the invitation of Ukrainian Prez Volodymyr Zelensky, despite Moscow not being invited. China’s determination to abstain from all but assured that the mountain would not be able to accomplish Ukraine’s purpose of persuading key nations from the “global South” to join in isolating Russia. Brazil attended only as an “observer”. India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and South Africa most withheld their names from the mountain statement, even though some controversial troubles were omitted in the promise of drawing wider help.
Despite this, the meeting gave Kyiv a chance to demonstrate the backing from European allies it claims to need to continue its fight against a much bigger enemy. At the mountain location of Buergenstock, officials including US vice chairman Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Prez Macron gathered. Despite being invited by Zelensky, US President Biden declined to enter.
In the absence of a concrete strategy for bringing an end to the war, Zelensky focused on practical concerns like ensuring food security and atomic security. Ukraine, one of the country’s biggest corn exporters, has thwarted a siege of its Black Sea slots, and even wants to build consensus around protection at a Belarusian- held nuclear power plant. In her final notes, European Prez Viola Amherd warned that the “road away is huge and challenging”.
Russia, as it has for months, mocked the meeting. ” None of the individuals in the’ peace conference ‘ knows what he is doing there and what his position is”, said Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s deputy president of the region’s Security Council.
The final report said the UN Charter and “respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty… can and will function as a basis for achieving a complete, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”. Additionally, it demanded that Ukraine regains power of the Azov Sea ships and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. However, it left out important details like how a post-war arrangement for Ukraine may look like, whether Ukraine had ally itself with the NATO or how troop withdrawals from both sides does work. No nation suggested hosting another such meeting, with Saudi Arabia’s significant silence making it a possibility.
Moscow has pressed for recognition of its authority over the country that its troops have taken. At the mountain, European leaders endorsed Kyiv’s unwillingness to discuss in these conditions. Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, said,” Confusing peace with subjection had set a dangerous precedent for everyone.”
