- author, Robert Greenall
- role, BBC News
-
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev would hold peace talks with Russia tomorrow if Moscow withdraws from all of Ukraine.
But speaking at the closing ceremony of a peace summit in Switzerland, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had no intention of ending the war and that it must be prevented “by all means”, whether military or diplomatic.
He added that Western aid is not enough to win the war, but the summit showed that the international community’s support for Ukraine is not waning.
The conference ended with dozens of countries committing to Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The final document was adopted with an explicit condemnation of Russia for the widespread suffering and destruction caused by the war.
However, several countries in attendance, including India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia, did not sign the agreement.
The summit was aimed at generating the broadest possible support for a process that could lead to an end to the war in Ukraine.
The summit was attended by more than 90 countries and international organizations.
Russia was not invited and China, the country’s largest donor, also did not attend, raising doubts about the validity of the summit.
Among those gathered in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock were some of Ukraine’s least enthusiastic supporters, including Saudi Arabia, whose foreign minister warned that Ukraine would be forced to make difficult compromises, and Kenya, which has voiced opposition to recent sanctions against Russia.
The final document calls for restoring Ukrainian control over the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, currently occupied by Russia.
It also describes the Russian invasion as a “war,” something Moscow denies.
The conference called for the exchange of all prisoners and the return of children abducted by Russia.
The most contentious issues, such as the status of Russian-occupied lands, will be put on the back burner.
Speaking to reporters after the summit, President Zelenskyy thanked the leaders of the countries who attended and said he appreciated their voluntary participation despite pressure from Russia not to do so.
“At this summit, international support [for Ukraine] “The diplomatic effort is not weakening,” he said, noting that countries that had not previously joined the diplomatic effort are now joining the effort.
Asked by the BBC whether Ukraine’s weak position on the battlefield had forced it to consider diplomatic moves, he said instead Ukraine had always spoken of peace.
He said Moscow’s participation in the talks would demonstrate its willingness to make peace.
“If Russia withdraws from our territory, we can start negotiations tomorrow,” he said.
Zelensky also said China is not Ukraine’s enemy.
“We respect China and its territorial integrity and expect China to do the same for us,” he said, urging Beijing to get serious about formulating a peace plan.
Earlier, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said attendees were united in seeking peace in Ukraine.
“We all know we are only at the beginning of the road to peace,” he said.
“And while some of us around this table have different views on how to bring peace to Ukraine, let me be clear: we are completely united in our shared vision of principles, values and decency.”
“We should not invade other countries. We should not kidnap children. We should not play politics with the world’s food supply. We should not jeopardize nuclear security.”
All delegations had been expected to approve a final statement condemning Russian aggression, but Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer told reporters on Sunday that the declaration would not receive unanimous support.
Zelensky said on Saturday he would convey the results of the Swiss summit to Moscow “so that a real end to the war can be decided at the second peace summit.”
Russia has described the events in Switzerland as a waste of time, and on Friday President Vladimir Putin said he would agree to a ceasefire if Ukrainian forces withdrew from four areas that Russia claims to have partially occupied and annexed.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called it “propaganda” and British Chancellor Rishi Sunak accused Putin of “inventing a false story about his willingness to negotiate”.
Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that the Russian leader did not rule out talks with Ukraine, but added that guarantees were needed to ensure their credibility and that Zelenskiy could not take part in the talks.
