Switzerland Hosts High-Level Peace Summit on Ukraine Conflict.
Switzerland hosted a high-level peace summit on June 15-16, 2024, to chart an initial course toward resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The summit brought together over 164 delegations, including 57 heads of state and government. Nearly 80 countries called for respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity as the basis for any peace agreement, although some key developing nations did not join.
While Russia was notably absent, the summit established a process for continued dialogue and potential peace negotiations. Ukraine’s President Volodymir Zelenskyy hailed countries to organize a second peace conference. The talks marked an important step forward in the search for peaceful solutions to the devasting war that has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is extremely complex and has historical, social and political connotations. Although the tension and dispute over the Ukrainian territories is as old as the Russian Tsar empire, the modern conflict can be traced back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. On the one hand, the Russians have always kept their distance from the West, while Ukraine has always tried to get closer to the European Union and the United States.
Previous tensions between Ukraine and Russia existed before the current war, in 2014 Russia annexed Crimea, claiming a legitimate claim to this territory, but the straw that broke the camel's back was the possible entry of Ukraine into NATO and was the main argument that Russia used to start the war. On February 24 of 2022, Russia launched a military invasion into Ukrainian territory. Russia subsequently recognized Donetsk and Luhansk, which are pro-Russian separatist provinces, as independent territories of Ukraine, which led to an escalation of the conflict. Russia has declared a special military operation inside Ukraine, which continues to this day.
Since the beginning of the war the EU and the United States have given a gigantic amount of support to Ukraine. With NATO leading the way in coordinating arms deliveries, huge economic aid packages from the US and an immense amount of humanitarian aid from the EU, international aid and cooperation has been present since the beginning of the conflict. In addition, much of the international community has resorted to the application of economic sanctions against Russia.
The Swiss peace summit in Ukraine concluded with over 77 countries and organizations signing a joint communique. The document affirmed respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity as the basis for achieving a universal and lasting peace. However, the summit’s final document did not garner universal support.
In the same way, several countries refused to sign the document saying it was biased and did not sufficiently reflect their interest, including India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Africa, and the UAE, which declined to sign the communique. Likewise, the refusal of key regional powers to endorse the text underlined divisions between the West and Global South over the war in Ukraine. These countries, with strong and significant economic ties to Russia, have adopted more neutral stances and have called for an inclusive dialogue to end the conflict.
Moreover, the absence of these major players highlighted the challenges in forging a truly global consensus on resolving the Ukraine conflict. Its absence from the final declaration questioned the representativeness and legitimacy of the document. Colombian President Gustavo Petro even canceled his planned participation, alleging the summit’s conclusions had already been predetermined and it was not a free forum to discuss peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Ana Paula Reascos & Isaac Flor
Switzerland's recent Peace Summit is a significant step in international diplomacy, reaffirming Switzerland's tradition of neutrality and mediation. The event brought together diverse stakeholders to discuss conflict resolution and peacebuilding, highlighting the importance of dialogue in addressing global challenges.
ResponderEliminarFrom a geopolitical perspective, Switzerland's approach strengthens its soft power, allowing it to influence global affairs without the conflicts associated with hard power. The summit promotes a shift towards collaborative and multilateral approaches in conflict resolution, which is essential in our interconnected world.
The Swiss model emphasizes preventive diplomacy, addressing fundamental causes such as inequality and governance. By promoting sustainable peace, Switzerland contributes to long-term stability, benefiting the international community. These efforts are crucial for achieving a more peaceful and stable global order.
It is a very well-explained research about this actual conflict. I would like to highlight that the participation of so many delegations in the Peace Summit in Switzerland is remarkable, reflecting the concern of the international community regarding this conflict and the support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The absence of Russia in many peace negotiations makes it clear that it will not easily give up its war intentions, and that its openness to dialogue or diplomatic negotiations is very low. Not signing peace treaties, Russia stays firm until its conditions are taken. Furthermore, due to Ukraine's strategic position between the West and Russia, it has attracted the support of the United States (another hegemon and Russia's main competitor on several occasions) and its allies, further deepening the geopolitical tensions surrounding the conflict.
ResponderEliminarThis post provides valuable information regarding an important and current issue. I find it interesting how countries located geographically far from the conflict decided not to take part in the singing of the document prepared during the summit. It shows that the interests of those countries are not only related to security but mostly political. Also, the post mentions the arguments given by Colombian president Petro to not attend the summit in Switzerland, this gives us a point of view from a country which is not considered geopolitically powerful enough to be taken into account during peace dialogues.
ResponderEliminarIt is important to emphasize that Switzerland hosted the summit as an expression of its firm commitment to promoting international peace and security and aimed to create a framework for lasting peace in Ukraine. However, the challenge lies in translating these commitments into concrete actions on the ground and including Russia in the peace process.