Peace Summit on Ukraine starts in Switzerland

Several delegations had already arrived the day before.

In particular, on Friday evening, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the site.

“The peace summit will allow the global majority to take concrete steps in areas that are important to everyone in the world: nuclear and food security, the return of prisoners of war and all deportees, including deported Ukrainian children,” he wrote on the social network X. The Ukrainian leader thanked everyone who have decided to join and demonstrate global leadership and commitment to peace, international law and the UN Charter.

“As a responsible global majority, together we must make every effort to put an end to wars, aggressions and colonial occupations and to make their recurrence impossible. I am sure that all the people of the world want a fair world and respect for every nation. That is why the Summit format provides an opportunity for each nation to demonstrate its leadership in achieving common goals. The voice of a responsible global majority is capable of bringing peace closer and restoring the full force of the UN Charter,” Zelenskyy wrote.

The list of participants also became known only on the evening before the summit. Some countries, still undecided, made decisions at the last moment. In particular, there were doubts about the presence of representatives of Brazil and South Africa, Indonesia and the UAE, India and Turkey, and some others. In the end, the first 4 decided to send their representatives at the level of envoys, Delhi and Ankara - heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Of the 92 countries, 57 are represented by heads of state and government, 29 by foreign ministers, and 6 by envoys. This can be considered a success in itself, given the incredible efforts that Moscow made to prevent the conference from taking place.

“The conference will allow for the first time to discuss at the highest level how and when Russia can be involved in this process. For Switzerland, developing a long-term solution requires the participation of both parties. By organizing this conference, Switzerland is taking the first step to begin the process of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Thus, Switzerland continues its long tradition of promoting dialogue,” its hosts noted before the start of the conference.

The safety of participants is ensured by about 4 thousand police officers.