The final communiqué approved at the peace summit for Ukraine in Lucerne, Switzerland “reaffirms territorial integrity” of Ukraine, emphasizes that “dialogue between all parties is necessary to put an end” to the conflict and urges the complete exchange of prisoners of war and the return of children deported from Russia. It is also denounced in the text “the militarization of food security”.
“Any use of nuclear energy and nuclear facilities must be safe, secure, protected and environmentally friendly. Ukrainian nuclear power plants and facilities, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, must operate safely and securely under full control sovereign of Ukraine and in line with the principles of the IAEA and under its supervision,” the statement read. “Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine is unacceptable,” reads the document.
The statement was signed by 80 countries, out of 92 present at various degrees of representation. Countries that do not appear on the list are: Armenia, Brazil (observer), Colombia, the Vatican (observer), India, Indonesia, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The list of signatories includes the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe but no other international organizations.
“Two weeks ago it was written that Saudi Arabia had declined the invitation to the summit and we knew that wasn’t true. The fact that it is here shows that it is committed to the peace process: Riyadh is in the game.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this in response to a question about the statements of some countries in the Global South. Riyadh had spoken of the need for “difficult compromises”. “We respect the positions of other countries. Our position is clear: the fundamental principles of international law and the UN charter must be at the center of the peace process, we can talk about the rest.”
“The countries that did not come to the summit see what is happening: Ukraine is building consensus around the peace formula and this allows us to make huge steps towards a just peace, not at all costs,” Kuleba added , stressing that “the next summit should lead to the end of the war and we need the other side to be at the table: our job is to bring Ukraine to that table as strong as possible.”
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the end of the summit that “we are at war, we don’t have time, the work for the next summit must take months, not years”, specifying that he had already proposed the creation of “working groups”.
“When we are ready, there will be a new summit and some countries have already offered to host it.” These working groups, according to Zelensky, could be hosted by various countries willing to welcome the delegations, which will be at various levels, both of “advisers” – as in the first phases of the process that led to the Lucerne summit – and of “ministers “. We will work on “specific themes”. “It is important that all participants supported the territorial integrity of Ukraine, otherwise there will be no peace.”
ANSA Agency Meloni in Switzerland for the peace conference: “Unite efforts to help Kiev, Italy is there” – News – Ansa.it The prime minister in Zurich after the G7 concluded in Puglia (ANSA) From Moscow, meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared that “Zelensky should think about Putin’s peace offer, because the military situation in Kiev has worsened”. “Russian President Vladimir Putin does not reject negotiations with Ukraine, but their outcome must be approved by the legitimate Ukrainian government. Volodymyr Zelensky does not belong to this category,” added Peskov, according to whom Zelensky “is not the person with whom an agreement can be registered in writing because de jure this registration will be illegitimate”. “However, Putin does not reject anything, he does not reject the possibility of negotiations, according to the country’s constitution,” Peskov added.
The Ukrainian president responded that “Russia and its leader are not ready for peace. However, Putin made a big mistake, useful for us: because his words, his so-called peace plan, showed that he is not interested in peace and this has also been recognized here by countries that have different visions”.
The Foreign Minister of Latvia, Baiba Braže, told ANSA that “The Kremlin’s accusations of illegitimacy against Volodymyr Zelensky are clearly a strategy to undermine the peace process.” “Moscow – he added – exerted great pressure on several countries not to participate in the summit but it was not successful: what we see here is the birth of a majority of global support for the principles of the UN Charter”. “The fact that China is not here is Beijing’s loss and I think they will realize that,” she explained.
“No country would ever accept Putin’s shameful terms. The path to real peace requires determination, in the end it will be up to Ukraine to decide the terms of a just peace. I ask Russia to listen to the voice of the international community”, declared the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the end of the peace summit.
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