Ukraine: Swiss plan June meet, Russia presence ‘sooner or later’; India invited

India has also been invited for the peace conference. The first outreach took place when Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis visited New Delhi on February 5, met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and sounded out Delhi on the conference and India’s participation.

This was followed up by Zelenskyy’s phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March and a visit by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to convey an invitation to India to attend the conference.

The Swiss government said, “During President Zelenskyy’s visit to Bern on January 15, 2024, Switzerland and Ukraine discussed the next steps towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. At Ukraine’s request, Switzerland agreed to host a high-level conference…In June 2024, Switzerland will probably offer an opportunity to discuss different approaches to peace in Ukraine.”

The statement added: “(The summit) aims to create a common understanding of the framework conducive to this goal and a concrete roadmap for the peace process. By organising this conference, Switzerland is also making an important contribution to greater security and stability in Europe and the world.”

Around 120 countries will be invited at the level of heads of state and government, it said.

Zelenskyy said: “We expect to have 80 to 100 countries… this is the number of countries, I believe, that will be able to, at least, try to force Russia to a fair peace.”

He admitted that they did not yet have a specific list of countries. “We will agree how it will happen in the coming days,” he said.

The Swiss government said that they considered the participation of the Global South as crucial.

A Swiss foreign ministry spokesperson told Bloomberg: “In addition to the perspectives of Ukraine, Russia and Europe, it is also important to listen to the Global South, which will play a key role in the eventual inclusion of Russia in the process. That is why we are in close contact with China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.”

Cassis had also travelled to China, apart from India, in February.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned last week that prospective negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine could be successful only if they take Moscow’s interests into account, dismissing a planned round of peace talks as a Western ruse to rally broader international support for Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there will be no peace in Ukraine until Russia’s goals are met.

“We’re not going to sign the peace deal at this conference,” said Viola Amherd, the Swiss president. She called the meeting a “first step” in a process toward a lasting peace in Ukraine that could lead to a second, follow-up gathering. “It has to be clear from the start that Russia — sooner or later — has to be there,” Foreign Minister Cassis said. “Now, it’s not mandatory that it’s there the first day. We could also imagine that on the first day, people might agree about how to better invite in Russia.”

While there are question marks over the participation of US President Joe Biden because of the US election campaign, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Indian Prime Minister’s schedule will be clear after the Lok Sabha results come in June 4. Once the poll mandate is clear, the Prime Minister will be ready to travel, after the formation of the government, sources said.

This would be the Indian Prime Minister’s first trip overseas after elections, and there are expectations that Italy will invite the PM for the G7 leaders’ summit as a guest — as has been the practice in the last five years since France invited New Delhi in 2019 and Japan in 2023. After the G7 leaders’ summit, the stop at the peace conference will be a “natural event” to go to for the Prime Minister.

India now has to take a decision, as the Swiss would want a confirmation to plan for the conference. Delhi has sought to maintain a diplomatic balancing act between Russia and Ukraine, and it will have to calibrate its response over attendance at the peace conference.

Zelenskyy had sought India’s support on his 10-point “peace formula”, which calls for withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, release of prisoners, restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and guarantees on nuclear safety, food and energy security.