More than ninety countries were represented at the Switzerland Peace Summit for Ukraine this week in Burgenstock, Switzerland, to garner support for negotiating peace accords with Russia. World leaders from across the world met on the Swiss mountainside to listen to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, calling for international consensus against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a peace plan that is so widely accepted that Moscow will be forced to accept it.
The Swiss government developed this summit to “provide a forum where world leaders may discuss paths towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on international law and the UN Charter.” Within these accords, Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan outlined in late 2022 will be scrutinized and evaluated by world leaders to determine best practices in negotiating ceasefires for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan includes a cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, restoration of pre-war borders with Russia, and recognition of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
However, this plan follows Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s conditional ceasefire terms released on Friday, June 14th. Putin laid out a peace proposal that demanded the Ukrainian government surrender from four regions in the country currently occupied by Russia- Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. In addition to relinquishing territory to Russia, Putin demands that peace talks will not begin until Ukraine gives up on joining NATO.
In his demands, the terms set out by Putin have been labeled by global leaders and the Ukrainian government as “a complete sham” and an “offense to common sense,” implying Russia’s intentions for potential peace negotiations will never be genuine.
In addition to discussions on Zelensky’s peace plan, the United States government has agreed to supply Kyiv with over $1.5 billion to help the country rebuild its infrastructure, address humanitarian needs, and further participate in the global economy.
Of the ninety-plus countries attending the peace summit, only eighty-four signed the final communique, which affirms Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the right not to be invaded by the wider international community. One global power missing from the discussion was China, which was involved in the development of the Summit but would not attend unless Russia was present.
Global summit leaders plan to incorporate what was discussed in Switzerland within future discussions with Russia to foster lasting peace between the two countries.
