78 countries sign limited communique at Ukraine summit in ...

A two-day summit in Switzerland, dedicated to forging a path to end the war in Ukraine, concluded with key powers rejecting a limited joint communique that was agreed upon by more than 80 other countries and international organisations.

India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, all of whom have significant trading relationships with Russia as members of the BRICS economic group, attended the weekend meeting but did not agree to sign the joint statement.

On June 16, over 80 parties signed the final joint communique of the peace summit, including EU institutions as well as the 78 country signatories. 

The document reaffirmed the signatories' commitment to “refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognised borders”. 

However, the summit, held on June 15-16, narrowed its focus to three areas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's original 10-point peace plan deemed to have broad international appeal: nuclear safety, food security and the complete return of prisoners of war and civilians held by Russia. None of the major issues concerning actual fighting made it into the final communique.

Zelenskiy stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity at a news conference held alongside leaders from the EU, Ghana, Canada, Chile and Switzerland. "It is important that all participants of this summit support Ukraine’s territorial integrity because there will be no lasting peace without territorial integrity," Zelenskiy said.

More than 100 countries and organisations, predominantly from Western nations, gathered at the lakeside resort near Lucerne to garner support for the 10-point peace plan Zelenskiy first outlined in late 2022. The conditions include the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, ensuring nuclear security, securing food supplies, the return of all prisoners of war, justice for war crimes, and environmental protection and prevention of escalation.

High-level dignitaries in attendance included leaders from Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Vice President Kamala Harris represented the United States as President Joe Biden was busy with a fundraiser in the US ahead of national elections in November.

Ministers and advisors from various countries will convene further meetings to discuss the three focal points of Ukraine's peace plan deliberated at the Burgenstock summit, the Ukrainian Presidential Office announced.

"The next steps are to hold thematic talks on each item at the level of ministers and advisors. We already have the appropriate readiness for their organisation from a number of countries," deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office Ihor Zhovka wrote on Facebook.

According to Zhovka, Canada, Chile, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Kenya, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UK and the US have all expressed willingness to participate in these discussions.

Following the thematic meetings, "we go out to the second summit that should lay the foundations of lasting and just peace," he added.

Notably absent from the list of signatories were Armenia, Bahrain, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand and the UAE. 

Critically, none of the BRICS countries signed the communique, with China pitching its own 12-point alternative peace plan. China has been actively lobbying countries behind the scenes to sign up to its plan. Somewhat ironically, the three points agreed upon in Switzerland are also among the 12 points of China’s plan.

There was also criticism of the peace summit from politicians that did not attend. "The so-called Switzerland 'Peace Conference', in quotation marks, is basically an alignment for war. And we do not agree with that,” stated Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

Swiss President Viola Amherd stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be allowed to attend a potential second global peace summit despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him.

When asked if Switzerland would be obliged to arrest Putin, given its status as a signatory of the Rome Statute of the ICC, Amherd mentioned that exceptions could be made for him to appear in person.

"If the presence of [Putin] is necessary for holding the conference, then an exception can be made. In case of the negotiations on peace in Ukraine with Russia, this can be such an exception," Amherd told reporters following the summit's conclusion, adding that the Swiss government would need to adopt a decision on this matter.

The summit took place just days after the G7 countries agreed on a loan structure based on the size of their economies to provide about $50bn in new aid to Ukraine, which may start to arrive by the end of this year. The deal is backed by the profits earned from the investments of $280bn of frozen Central Bank of Russia (CBR) money in Europe.

The complete list of summit attendees consisted of: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, the Council of Europe, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, the European Commission, the European Council, the European Parliament, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Latvia, Liberia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of South Korea, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor Leste, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK, the US and Uruguay.