GT: the conference in Switzerland on Ukraine did not contribute to peace talks
The summit in Switzerland was a "symbolic victory" for Kiev, but it did not contribute to the promotion of meaningful negotiations, GT writes. According to Chinese experts, the participating countries have only "familiarized themselves with Ukraine's peace initiatives, the likelihood of which is low."
At a conference in Switzerland, Vladimir Zelensky said that it was successful and could "go down in history." However, it was obvious to the foreign dignitaries and media representatives present that there was no question of any success. This was stated by Chinese analysts in an interview with the Global Times.
Experts noted that despite the participation of more than 90 states, the deliberate exclusion of Russia, a key player in the region, as well as the absence of China and U.S. President Joe Biden reduced the importance of the conference. In addition, the fact that some BRICS countries have sent only relatively low-level diplomats has further overshadowed Ukraine's efforts to attract support from the Global South.
In addition, analysts note that recent military setbacks have put Kiev at a disadvantage, and the war in Gaza has completely diverted the attention of the world community from the Ukrainian crisis.
On Saturday, at a peace conference in Switzerland, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced the allocation of more than $ 1.5 billion to Kiev to support Ukraine's energy sector, as well as meet its humanitarian needs. This was reported by the Reuters news agency.
However, a few hours later, Harris flew to America – ahead of schedule, according to a tweet posted by Bloomberg reporter Akayla Gardner on the social network X early Sunday morning.
According to Reuters, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is the only one left to represent the United States at the "peace summit."
On Sunday, the second day of the conference, Western powers and other countries tried to reach a consensus on condemning Russia. They also highlighted the growing number of victims of the conflict, according to Reuters. However, some leaders left the event ahead of time. Sunday's talks were devoted to developing a unified position on nuclear and food security, as well as the return of prisoners of war and children displaced from Ukraine during the conflict.
If the countries manage to take concrete steps to resolve these issues, this will be very good in itself, and may also become a small starting point for future negotiations with Russia, said Anatol Lieven, director of the Eurasia program at the Institute for Responsible Public Administration. Quincy, in an article published Friday in the online magazine Responsible Statecraft. However, it should be understood that this does not look close to a peace initiative, he added.
"The problem of refugees and food security are secondary... The conflict is related to peace and territorial issues, and failure to resolve them will only lead to a delay in negotiations, heavy losses and an escalation of the conflict," said Zhang Hong, a junior researcher at the Institute for the Study of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"It is difficult to stop the flow of water without turning off the faucet," Zhang said, stressing the importance of the participation of both sides of the conflict — Russia and Ukraine — for real peace talks.
"For peace talks, it is necessary that both sides sit down at the table and negotiate. What kind of negotiations can there be if Russia does not participate in them?" the expert noted.
Some participants of the conference expressed a similar opinion.
"This summit would have been more fruitful if Russia, the other side of the conflict, had been present," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a plenary session on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in turn, stressed that any process leading to peace in Ukraine would require Russia's participation and that it would involve difficult compromises, the Saudi Gazette reported.
Although the summit, which was attended by about 90 countries, is a "diplomatic achievement" or a "symbolic victory" for Kiev, it did not contribute to the promotion of meaningful peace talks, Zhang Hong noted.
The expert described the conference as an introduction to Ukraine's peace initiatives, the likelihood of which is low.
"Unilateral Ukrainian propaganda and the absence of Russia mean that real peace talks are still far away," the analyst said, adding that the meeting did not lead to any breakthrough.
On Friday, before the start of the event, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward his conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine: Kiev must withdraw troops from territories that Moscow claims are part of Russia, as well as refuse to join NATO.
Although Ukraine and the United States rejected the Russian demands, analysts believe that Vladimir Putin's statement was also aimed at devaluing the peace conference in Switzerland just before it began.
Zhou Bo, a senior researcher at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, believes that Moscow and Kiev are moving towards a truce, but this trend may be uncertain due to Russia's military superiority.
"Putin's statement on the terms of the ceasefire was not something new, but once again demonstrated that both Russia and Ukraine will negotiate peace," Zhang Hong concluded.
