About 40 world leaders have announced their intention to participate in a peace conference on Ukraine, which will be held in a Swiss mountain resort next weekend. The Swiss government, which will organize the talks at the Bürgenstock resort on Lake Lucerne, stated that approximately 160 heads of state and government have been invited to participate in the conference. Swiss President Viola Amherd mentioned in Bern yesterday that officials from around 40 countries would be represented at a lower level, and representatives from the United Nations and other organizations would also take part. Amherd added, "We want to lay out a roadmap on how the parties can meet in a future peace process."
The Swiss government describes the summit as a "peace conference"; however, no agreements are expected between the warring parties, particularly due to Russia's absence. China, along with other nations closely tied to Moscow, will also not participate in the conference. The summit, requested by Kyiv, aims to "inspire a future peace process," but the outcome remains uncertain. A source in the German government warned that "it is important to avoid inflated expectations."
The Kremlin condemned the conference as a Western propaganda event. Nevertheless, diplomats and the Swiss government believe this conference could be a precursor to further talks that might eventually include Russia. Amherd stated that humanitarian issues, freedom of navigation, and food security would be discussed at a high level during the talks on June 15 and 16. Many leaders are expected to travel to Switzerland after attending the G7 summit in Italy, which starts next week, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. However, U.S. President Joe Biden will send Vice President Kamala Harris to represent him at the conference.
Ukraine hopes to gain broad international support by setting out the conditions it believes are necessary to end the war. The conference particularly focuses on the 10-point peace plan proposed by the Ukrainian president to identify the means to achieve "just and lasting peace." Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis stated yesterday while presenting the conference program to the media, "We dare to talk about peace."
The "Conference on Peace in Ukraine" will be held following the scheduled G7 meeting from June 13 to 15 in southern Italy, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate. G7 leaders hope to reach an agreement on how to utilize frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. After the G7 meeting, Zelensky will join representatives from more than 90 countries and organizations in Switzerland, including French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Cassis emphasized, "The conference is a first step, but there will be no peace process without Russia. The question is not whether Russia will participate, but when." Bern refrained from inviting Russia to participate in this conference, as Moscow expressed disinterest, claiming that Switzerland has deviated from its neutral policy by supporting European sanctions. The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that it will not participate in any negotiations if Kyiv does not agree to the annexation of about 20% of the Ukrainian territories currently controlled by Russia.
Notably, India is the only BRICS member state that has publicly confirmed its participation in the Switzerland conference, while China and Brazil find it challenging to attend in the absence of Russia, and South Africa's participation remains uncertain.
The conference comes as Russian forces claim to have made ground gains with a large-scale ground offensive launched in the Kharkiv region on May 10, where they captured several villages and towns. The Ukrainian army, lacking ammunition and personnel, is struggling to counter Russian forces due to delays in the delivery of Western military aid.
