Volodymyr Zelensky seeking accord on peace deal at Swiss summit

More than two years after Russia invaded, leaders from more than 90 states gathered in a Swiss mountainside resort for a two-day summit.

Volodymyr Zelensky, centre, arrives at the Burgenstock resort. Picture: AFP

As world leaders lined up to offer their support at summit for peace in Ukraine overnight on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced hope of garnering international agreement around a proposal to end the war that he could present to Moscow.

More than two years after Russia invaded, leaders and senior officials from more than 90 states gathered in a Swiss mountainside resort for a two-day summit dedicated to Kyiv’s plan to end the largest European conflict since World War II.

Most voiced strong support for Ukraine, demanding a “just peace”. Others, however, criticised Moscow’s exclusion and warned Kyiv it would need to compromise if it wanted to end the war.

In his opening remarks, Mr Zelensky told the assembly in Burgenstock: “We must decide together what a just peace means for the world and how it can be achieved in a lasting way. Then it will be communicated to the representatives of Russia, so that at the second peace summit we can fix the real end of the war.”

Kyiv has previously said Russia would be invited to a second summit – a position many countries backed Saturday. The summit came as Ukraine struggles on the battlefield, where it is outmanned and outgunned.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded Ukraine’s effectively surrender if it wanted to even begin peace talks. Putin’s call for Ukraine to withdraw from the south and east of the country – already rejected by Mr Zelensky as an “ultimatum” – was widely dismissed.

“He is not calling for negotiations, he is calling for surrender,” US Vice-President Kamala Harris said.

“All us are committed to build a sustainable peace … Such a peace cannot be a Ukrainian capitulation,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. “There is one aggressor and a victim.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that any ceasefire without “serious negotiations with a road map towards a lasting peace … would only legitimise Russia’s illegal land grab”.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen took a similar line, arguing: “Freezing the conflict today with foreign troops occupying Ukrainian land is not an answer. In fact, it is a recipe for future wars of aggression.”

It was a more mixed message, however, from outside Ukraine’s traditional circle of backers.

Saudi Arabia, an energy ally of Russia, told Kyiv it would have to make a “difficult compromise” if it wanted to end the conflict.

“And here it is essential to emphasise that any credible process will need Russia’s participation,” Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said.

China, which struck a “no-limits” strategic partnership with Moscow days before the February 2022 invasion, did not send a delegation to the conference in protest at Russia’s exclusion.

And Kenya’s President William Ruto criticised the latest Western measures against Russia, last week’s G7 deal to offer a $US50bn loan to Ukraine secured against profits of frozen Russian assets.

“Just as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was unlawful and unacceptable, the unilateral appropriation of Russian assets is equally unlawful,” Mr Ruto said.

Turkey, a potential mediator, issued a stark assessment of the need for action, warning the war risked spilling outside Ukraine or ending in the use of nuclear weapons. “This conference … might be the last exit before the bridge,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan cautioned.

Attendees at Saturday’s summit were wrangling over a possible final joint declaration, according to sources close to the discussions cited by Swiss public news agency Keystone-ATS. Kyiv has insisted terms such as “Russian aggression” and references to its “territorial integrity” appear in any joint communique.

And as Mr Zelensky lent heavily on the UN Charter and international law to criticise Russia’s invasion, some world leaders drew parallels with the Israel-Hamas war.

“Only the respect of international law and human rights can guarantee peace. The same applies to the conflict in Gaza,” said Chile’s President Gabriel Boric.

Mr Zelensky did not say if he was prepared to engage with Putin directly in talks to end the conflict, though he has in the past ruled out direct talks with him.

Overnight on Sunday, delegates were to focus on three areas: nuclear safety, freedom of navigation and food security, and humanitarian issues.

AFP