FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
BURGENSTOCK – Two days of discussions and diplomatic pressure were not enough to make a breakthrough in the “scepticism front”, as Volodymyr Zelensky himself defined it. Twelve out of 92 countries did not sign the final communiqué of the Peace Conference, organized by the Swiss federal government and the Ukrainian leader. The list includes crucial countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa. They complete the list Armenia, Bahrain, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Mexico, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. To these must be added the Brazil and the Vatican, who however participated as “observers”. The other 80 States, however, approved the document based on this key passage: «The Charter of the United Nations, including the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all States, can and must serve as the basis for achieving a just, lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Thus ends the «Peace Summit», in the Burgenstock resort, overlooking Lake Lucerne. Zelensky and the president of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, defined it as “a success” and at the same time the starting point of a second conference. The aim is to involve the great absentees: Russia and China.
The end result, however, appears below expectations. The gray area, that of the equidistance between Moscow and Kiev, remains substantially intact compared to a year and a half ago, when the UN Assembly voted on a motion condemning Russia’s aggression. On that occasion, 32 countries abstained, including China, naturally, but also India, South Africa and Armenia. A position confirmed here in Burgenstock. Of course, choices must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates did not sign, but their representatives actively contributed to the discussion in Switzerland. In particular, the Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, has nominated his country to host the next conference. It is likely that the Saudis did not want to sign the document precisely to give strength to a possible mediation role.
At first Zelensky had ensured that “everyone, all countries” had shared “the principle of territorial integrity”. But, later, answering journalists’ questions, he acknowledged: “Some governments have made different choices, the historical relations with Russia still weigh heavily, but I think that in the future their consensus will also come.”
The Ukrainian leader also indicated the next steps: meetings will continue at the ministerial level. We will return to the three dossiers at the center of the Swiss summit: humanitarian issues (exchange of prisoners and return of Ukrainian children deported by the Russians); securing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and guarantees for the flow of Ukrainian food exports.
