Peace Summit: Diplomats focus on narrow goals to ensure participation of the Global South
Kyiv • UNN
Diplomats are trying to secure the participation of the Global South in the Peace Summit for Ukraine by focusing on a narrow set of goals. More than 160 countries have been invited to the Summit, which will take place on June 15-16.
In preparation for the Peace Summit for Ukraine to be held in Switzerland next month, diplomats have focused on a narrow range of goals to ensure the presence of China and other countries of the so-called Global South at the meeting. This was reported by UNN with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
More than 160 countries have been invited to the Peace Summit to be held in Switzerland on June 15-16. However, the level of participation in the conference, apart from Ukraine's Western allies, remains uncertain.
To build broader support, Germany and other Ukrainian allies are engaging diplomats from the Global South to work on a possible text that would take into account key UN principles and other key issues such as the return of deported children to Ukraine, prisoner exchange, nuclear and food security, according to people familiar with the discussions.
However, these points are not in line with Ukraine's peace plan, which requires respect for the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty, the withdrawal of Russian troops, and guarantees of its future security.
The presence of China, in particular, is considered important for the success of the meeting, given the influence that, according to diplomats, Beijing has been exerting on Moscow for more than two years after the start of the full-scale war.
Bloomberg's sources say that the Group of Seven countries and the European Union are stepping up efforts to ensure the participation of representatives from Brazil to South Africa and Indonesia. In particular, Italy has been asked to convince Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support the initiative, and Japan is in talks with Brazil.
Beijing and other major countries of the Global South insist on involving Russia in this process. Ukraine and its allies believe that this can happen only after the key principles of a peaceful settlement are defined. There are first suggestions that such a meeting could take place in the Persian Gulf, Bloomberg notes
However, one of the key goals of the summit is to discuss how Russia can be involved in a real peace process.
Addendum
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saidthat the Global Peace Summit to be held in June in Switzerland will not discuss the process of ending the war in Ukraine. The summit will focus on issues such as nuclear safety, grain exports, prisoner exchange, and the taboo on the use of nuclear weapons.
