This is Just the Beginning of the Path to Peace, But Indeed a Beginning

The Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland met the expectations of those who knew what to expect. The main conclusion is that a movement has begun. And this is good news. The bad news is that this is only the beginning, and the work ahead will be challenging.

The most interesting aspect of this summit is that this platform effectively plays the role that the United Nations was supposed to fulfil. This is quite sad news for the UN because the organisation appears extremely ineffective, costly, and outdated compared to Kyiv's initiatives. However, neither Kyiv nor its partners criticise the UN for this. Why would they? They are trying to win over everyone who is at least not actively opposing them, primarily the countries of the so-called Global South.

This is the main answer to the question of why such powerful efforts were made to gather such a representative assembly in the resort town of Bürgenstock.

The second reason why Kyiv initiated the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland was to counteract the powerful campaign by the Kremlin, which is trying to create the illusion that it is Moscow that is open to peace talks, while Ukraine is avoiding such negotiations. This Russian campaign relies on substantial funding, media, and diplomatic support, making it very dangerous as it misleads the world.

However, this entire Russian campaign was nullified by the speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin on 14 June, on the eve of the Ukraine Peace Summit. Specifically, Putin demands that Ukraine cede the entire territory of the four partially occupied regions as a precondition for ceasing hostilities. He also demands that the temporarily occupied Crimea be recognised as Russian, that the Ukrainian army be significantly reduced, that Ukraine's refusal of Euro-Atlantic integration be formalised, and other concessions.

The reaction to these demands was quite unanimous. These demands were perceived as blackmail against the backdrop of Russian offensives in the northeast and east of Ukraine, which began in May but have now stalled. Most importantly, this speech nullified the Kremlin's attempts to create an image of a party seeking peace.

This is actually a fact whose potential consequences are not yet fully understood. But surely, we will soon see these consequences.

Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: "Putin and Russia will be invited to negotiations when they are ready to pursue peace based on the UN Charter. But we see that Russia (for now) does not need just peace, does not need an honest peace..." Source: president.gov.ua.

Zelensky's Peace Plan Begins to Take Shape

As the saying goes, every long journey begins with a single step. When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his peace plan at the G20 summit in Indonesia in November 2022, his ten points seemed too ambitious. World leaders greeted the Ukrainian leader with smiles, which appeared more as genuine diplomatic approval of Ukraine’s efforts rather than assurances of full and comprehensive support.

Indeed, these ten points of Zelensky's peace formula seemed overly ambitious a year and a half ago:

• Radiation and Nuclear Safety: No one should have the right to blackmail the world with a radiation catastrophe. This refers primarily to the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is occupied by the Russians. It also addresses the regular nuclear blackmail that the Kremlin resorts to.
• Food Security: This concerns the freedom of Ukrainian exports, primarily food exports, as Ukraine is undeniably the breadbasket of the world.
• Energy Security: Ending energy terror, ceasing missile and air strikes on energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
• Release of All Prisoners and Deported Persons.
• Implementation of the UN Charter and Restoration of Ukraine's Territorial Integrity and Global Order.
• Withdrawal of Russian Troops from Ukrainian Territory and Cessation of Hostilities.
• Justice: Compensation for damage and harm caused, and prosecution of those responsible for the genocide of the Ukrainian people.
• Ending Ecocide: Immediate protection of nature and restoration of the natural environment damaged by Russian aggression.
• Prevention of Escalation: Creation of a post-war security architecture, including security guarantees for Ukraine.
• Confirmation of the End of the War: Signing a document to confirm the end of the war after the fulfilment of all the previous nine points.

It appears to be a viable plan that would guarantee the world, firstly, the elimination of the threat of a Third World War, which is already knocking on humanity's door. Secondly, this plan would return the world to the tracks of international law, from which it is about to completely derail.

Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: "We know that peace in Ukraine will not be achieved in one step; it will be a journey." Source: president.gov.ua.

What was the outcome of the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland? The summit concluded with a joint approval of only three points from Zelensky's peace formula:

• Nuclear Safety: Any use of nuclear energy and installations must be safe, secure, protected, and environmentally safe. This applies to the three Ukrainian nuclear power plants on territory controlled by Ukraine, as well as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied. It was also noted that any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the ongoing war against Ukraine is unacceptable.
• Global Food Security: Free, full, and safe commercial shipping, as well as access to the ports of the Black and Azov Seas, is critically important.
• Release of Prisoners of War: All prisoners of war must be released through a full exchange. All deported and illegally relocated Ukrainian children and all other Ukrainian civilians who have been unlawfully detained must be returned to Ukraine.

In the final communiqué of the summit, it was announced that the foundation of peace must be the Charter of the United Nations, including "the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states".

At first glance, this might not seem overly favourable for Ukraine. Only three of the nine functional points of Zelensky's peace formula were included in the communiqué as supported by the summit participants. However, this is a somewhat simplified and even misleading impression.

Photo: Swiss President Viola Amherd: "The road ahead is long and difficult." Source: X (formerly Twitter), Viola Amherd.

Why This is a Significant Step Forward

The most important outcome anticipated by Ukraine and its partners from the Ukraine Peace Summit is that it actually took place. The mere fact of its occurrence has set the heavy train of the peace process in motion. This process includes pressure on Russia, assistance to Ukraine from the civilised world, effective resistance to the aggressor's forces, garnering broad diplomatic support, and isolating Russia's situational allies. It would be unrealistic to expect all of this to be achieved with a wave of a magic wand over two June days by an Alpine lake.

"We are responding to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine not only with full-scale defence of human life but also with full-scale diplomacy," explained Volodymyr Zelensky, clarifying the goal of his efforts.

Indeed, more than 90 countries participated in the summit, with 78 signing the communiqué and 15 abstaining. Moscow was notably not invited, a demonstrative move since the aggressor has no right to participate in forming a peace formula. In response, Russia tried to mock the event, including through Putin's speech on the eve of the summit. It would have been better for the Kremlin to abstain. When the Soviet empire flaunted its power—real or imagined—its foreign policy leader, Andrei Gromyko, known as "Mr No," would simply ignore events that irritated him. This approach used to work.

However, it appears that the Kremlin is now combining irritation with the Ukrainian initiative with Putin's feeling of the ground shaking beneath him. While he has not completely lost military initiative, he has undoubtedly lost diplomatic initiative.

Of course, Putin still has some support. This summit was ignored by China, which plays its own game, driven less by concerns about Russia and more by its aspirations for leadership over the "Global South." Consequently, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa refused to support the communiqué with their signatures, despite the document being limited to just three points from Zelensky's ten-point peace formula to secure these signatures. Subsequently, Jordan and Iraq withdrew their signatures, and Brazil opted for observer status.

Observers note the presence of signatures from countries such as Argentina, Qatar, Cyprus, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Hungary. This is an interesting signal since some of these countries were considered, to some extent, sympathisers of Moscow.

Swiss President Viola Amherd, who hosted the event, warned in her closing remarks that "the road ahead is long and difficult."

Indeed, it is. Hence, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen supported Amherd, stating, "We know that peace in Ukraine will not be achieved in one step; it will be a journey."

Photo: Summit participation: more than 90 countries participated in the summit, with 78 signing the communiqué and 15 abstaining. Source: president.gov.ua.

One of the main issues is that Ukraine rightfully demands the restoration of its territorial integrity, while Russia has cornered itself by boasting changes to its constitution, claiming not only Crimea but also four Ukrainian regions as its territorial units. Many of Moscow's allies advocate for so-called "tough compromises," and even some European leaders view this favourably. However, it seems that the threat to Europe and beyond is now considered so real and imminent by developed countries that they recognise this threat as existential. Thus, they see neither the need nor the possibility of achieving peace at the expense of dismembering Ukraine.