The leaders of a hundred states and organizations began to arrive Saturday in Switzerland for a conference on peace in Ukraine which aims to increase diplomatic pressure on Russiabut the absence of powerful allies of Moscoulike China, limits its scope.
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the summit on Saturday before returning to France. His G7 partners, which he has only just left after the summit in Puglia, will also all be present.
China, largely absent
After saying it would consider participating, China ultimately declined Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky’s January invitation to his counterpart Xi Jinping, citing Russia’s absence from the conference. Hopes of succeeding in isolating Moscow were dampened by Beijing’s announcement.
“ THE summit risks showing the limits of Ukrainian diplomacy “, declared Richard Gowan, UN director of the International Crisis Group think tank. “ However, this is a chance for Ukraine to remind the world that it defends the values of the United Nations Charter. »
HASBefore his departure for Lucerne, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz judged that it was an important step on the path to peace. “ We will discuss many topics from peace and security, but not the biggest (which will have to be negotiated with Russia, Editor’s note). This is what was always planned “, he told Welt TV.
Russia calls for annexation of four regions to achieve ceasefire
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday set conditions for a ceasefire with Ukraine, including the formal annexation of four regions in the east and south, including including territories that his army does not control, claims immediately rejected as “ absurd » by the Kyiv authorities. “ Everyone knows that the (Russian) proposal is not serious, but that it is linked to the holding of the conference in Switzerland », commented Olaf Scholz, interviewed by ZDF.
Switzerland hopes that the summit will pave the way for a future process of peace in which Russia would participate. The issues of food security, freedom of navigation and nuclear security should in particular be addressed at the conference. European officials, however, privately conceded that without the support of Moscow’s key allies, the conference’s impact would be limited.
“ What can he (Volodimir Zelensky) expect from it? said Daniel Woker, a former Swiss ambassador. “ A new small step forward in international solidarity with Ukraine, victim of Russian aggression “.
Ukraine again receives weapons from the United States
For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived on Friday evening, has just spent the last few weeks pleading his cause throughout the world, not without success. In particular, he obtained almost 50 billion dollars at the G7 summit.
The Ukrainian president once again receives weapons from the United States after long months of waiting which put the Ukrainian army in great difficulty. Furthermore, Washington, as well as other allied countries, authorized it – under conditions – to use their weapons to strike directly on Russian territory.
Finally Friday evening, the 27 gave their ” agreement in principle ” at the opening of EU accession negotiations.
With AFP and Reuters
