Mr. Zelensky denounced the “Hitler”-style “ultimatum” of the Russian president, who launched the invasion of the Ukrainian neighbor in February 2022.
“We want to inspire a process for a just and lasting peace,” declared Swiss President Viola Amherd, alongside her Ukrainian counterpart.
“As an international community, we can prepare the ground for direct discussions between the warring parties,” she said, adding: “If we want to inspire a peace process, Russia must also be involved at some point.” . This is clear to everyone.
A second summit is planned, in which kyiv hopes that a Russian delegation will participate, Mr. Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, explained on Tuesday.
— Second summit –
The meeting, being held in the ultra-chic Bürgenstock resort perched above Lake Lucerne, will begin with a plenary session on Saturday afternoon, followed by dinner.
On Sunday, three subjects will be discussed in working groups: nuclear safety, freedom of navigation and food security, and humanitarian aspects, in particular the fate of Ukrainian children deported to Russia.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, who represents President Joe Biden returned to the United States after the G7 in Italy, came with aid of more than $1.5 billion, mainly for the energy sector and for aid humanitarian.
French President Emmanuel Macron will participate in the summit on Saturday alongside other heads of state and government from the G7 (Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom).
The Swiss hosts wanted to bring together as many countries as possible, particularly those from the Global South, but among the emerging Brics countries, only Saudi Arabia is sending its head of diplomacy. Brazil, India and even South Africa have lower-ranking envoys.
As for China, it had warned that it would not participate as long as Russia was not in the round table.
— Doubtful –
In Ukraine on the eastern front of Donetsk, where violent fighting is taking place, soldiers are doubtful about this major diplomatic raid. Maxime and his unit of tankers would like to “hope” that the summit achieves something. “But experience shows that nothing will come of it,” the soldier told AFP.
In kyiv, Victoria “doesn’t have high hopes” either. “I would like us to find a path to peace, because I am exhausted by this war (…) but I am not very optimistic,” explains this thirty-year-old.
Experts are equally cautious.
“kyiv and its supporters will have difficulty obtaining tangible results from the meeting (…) beyond the reaffirmation of the principles of territorial integrity of the United Nations Charter,” estimates the think tank International Crisis Group.
— Billions and alliances –
Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived on Friday evening, has just spent the last few weeks pleading his cause throughout the world and from the G7 to Italy with a loan of 50 billion dollars in his pocket.
The funds will be guaranteed by the interest earned on Russian assets frozen since the start of the invasion. For Vladimir Putin, it is “a theft that will not go unpunished”.
