The Ukraine peace summit being held at a Swiss Alpine resort saw world leaders shunning Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposals for peace in Ukraine. The Russian President said on Friday that Russia would end the war if Kyiv agreed to drop its NATO ambitions and hand over four provinces claimed by Moscow.
The world leaders, including heads of state from the UK, Italy and Germany, opted not to discuss the Russian proposals. According to Ukraine, Putin's proposals were "offensive to common sense".
The US, represented by Vice President Kamala Harris, said Putin was calling for surrender. "Let nothing about the end of this war be decided without Ukraine," she added.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also said Putin had no interest in a genuine peace. "He has launched a sustained diplomatic campaign against this summit ordering countries to stay away, spinning a phoney narrative about his willingness to negotiate." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen too slammed the Russian President stating that freezing the conflict today with foreign troops occupying Ukrainian land was not the answer. "It is a recipe for future wars of aggression," she added.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Putin's proposal: "It doesn't seem particularly effective to me as a negotiation proposal to tell Ukraine that it must withdraw from Ukraine."
The Summit was shunned by Russia and its powerful ally China, thereby blunting its impact. Here are some key takeaways from the summit:
1) The draft of a final summit declaration blames Russia's "war" in Ukraine for causing "large-scale human suffering and destruction". It also calls for Kyiv to regain control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and access to its seaports, according to Reuters.
2) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the summit a success, stating that "history being made." "Today is the day when the world begins to bring a just peace closer," he told leaders.
3) Many participants, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Kenya, cited the absence of Russia as a hurdle. "I must also note that this summit could have been more result-oriented if the other party to the conflict, Russia, was present in the room," said Turkey's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said credible talks would involve "difficult compromise".
4) Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer batted for building a broader global consensus to pressure Russia."It's like we're in a Western echo chamber. That is: all Western European countries, the USA, we agree on what we want to happen with Ukraine," Nehammer said. "But that alone is not enough."
5) Three topics will be discussed in detail in working groups at the summit on Sunday. These include nuclear safety, freedom of navigation food security, and humanitarian aspects. These will look at Black Sea shipping, prisoners of war, civilian detainees and deported children.