Ukraine peace conference ends – Next time with Russia?

A final declaration is planned, which could address issues such as the protection of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the renunciation of the use of nuclear weapons, grain exports and prisoner exchange. The meeting, which will be attended by Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), among others, is intended to initiate a peace process in which Russia will also be involved in the long term.

• Also read: Hope for peace or flop? What to expect from the Ukraine conference

It is unclear when a follow-up conference with Russia, which is not participating this time, can take place. It is unlikely that the summit participants will set a date or even an approximate time on Sunday. The hosts hope, however, that a follow-up conference will be decided this year. “As an international community, we can help prepare the ground for direct talks between the warring parties,” said Swiss President Viola Amherd.

Putin’s absurd demands

Statements from Moscow immediately before the summit made it clear how far away a peaceful solution is. Russian President Vladimir Putin set out his conditions for negotiations, including Ukraine’s complete renunciation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhia regions and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea – just over a fifth of Ukraine’s territory.

• More on the subject: EU states in favour of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova

US Vice President Kamala Harris dismissed Putin’s demand on Saturday as absurd. “We have to tell the truth. He is not calling for negotiations, he is calling for surrender,” she said – and assured Ukraine of continued support in its defensive struggle against Russia. “America is not standing by Ukraine out of charity, but because it is in our strategic interest.”

In a draft of the final declaration, which was made available to the Reuters news agency, Russia is blamed for the war in Ukraine, which has caused great human suffering and destruction, and calls for respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity. It also demands that Kiev regain control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and access to its ports on the Black and Azov Seas. All Ukrainian prisoners of war must be released and children deported from Ukraine must be returned to their homeland. A threat to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine in connection with the ongoing war is inadmissible.

• You might also be interested in: NATO builds headquarters for Ukraine mission in Germany

The initiative for the summit came from the Swiss government and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “We managed to give diplomacy a chance,” Zelensky said before the opening of the peace conference.

The Swiss hosts had spent months trying to get as many countries as possible to participate. 160 were invited, and more than 90 agreed – many of them are represented by heads of state and government.

Russia was not there

Some countries criticized Russia’s absence as an obstacle to progress. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said credible talks would require difficult compromises. Saudi Arabia, along with Turkey, is being discussed as a possible host of a follow-up conference.

• Also read: Putin: “Theft” of Russian assets will not go unpunished

The calls for Russia to participate in the negotiations are getting louder over time, said Bob Deen of the Dutch think tank Clingendael Institute. “There is a risk that competing events will emerge if Ukraine waits too long. It could risk losing the initiative,” said Deen at a forum on the sidelines of the summit.