Eighty countries of the world, including the Czech Republic, called today at the summit together for the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine to be the basis of any agreement to end Russian aggression. At the same time, the delegations called for the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia and for their involvement of “all parties” to a possible peace process. Some participants, including Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia or India, did not sign up to the final declaration of the talks in Switzerland.
According to Pavel, the vast majority of countries are at the summit clearly supported a solution based on the UN Charter, especially the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. According to him, most countries have also condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine as contrary to international law.
One step towards peace
The highestt was the first step on the way to peace in Ukraine and as such exceeded expectations, says the Czech president. According to him, the fact that some states did not sign the declaration does not in itself mean that they are in opposition, Pavel welcomes that they participated and perceived the situation as it is. “I think they just can’t ignore such a unified speech, in so many important areas, that they heard there,” he said.
According to Pavel, it will be necessary for other major world players to participate in further negotiations, the participation of China will be keyy. “If it is possible to get China to the next negotiations in a constructive form, then I think that it will be half won even in terms of Russia’s participation,” the president noted. According to him, the Russian proposal for a peace settlement is a set of capitulation conditions, which completely ignore international law and establish the law of the stronger.
According to the president, the summit brought a relatively large universal agreement in the three fundamental topics on which it focused – in nuclear safety, food safety and humanitarian issues such as the protection of civilians and the return of children deported by Russia. According to Pavel, the next steps will be announced, in the coming period the working groups will evaluate progress in individual areas. “The countries have agreed that further rounds will follow, this time with the participation of other players, probably including Russia,” he added.
Some countries did not join
“We believe that achieving peace requires the involvement of all parties and dialogue between them,” the final declaration of the majority of participants states. “The Charter of the United Nations, including the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all statescan and will serve as the basis for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” the text continues. He does not directly call for the withdrawal of Russians from the occupied parts of Ukraine.
According to the Swiss newspaper Tribune de Genève, the declaration was issued on behalf of 85 countries and international organizations, with a hundred delegations participating in the two-day event. Among the signatories there is no member of the BRICS international economic alliance, which also includes Russia. In addition to the countries mentioned above, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, South Africa and Indonesia also did not sign the declaration.
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Here are some more pictures from the peace summit in Switzerland.
In the Chakov region, the city is also being fought over Vovchansk, which Ukraine liberated in September 2022, but was reoccupied by the Russians as part of an offensive. Videos on social media show that the Russians in the factory there surrender en masse to the Ukrainian forces. According to unofficial information, there were up to 400 occupiers in the area.
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At the summit in the foothills of the Swiss Alps, Ukraine tried to build support for its peace plan formulated as early as 2022, specifically on three of its points: nuclear security in Ukraine, food security and people imprisoned or kidnapped during the war.
“All prisoners of war must be released… All deported and illegally displaced Ukrainian children and all other Ukrainian civilians who have been illegally detained must be returned to Ukraine,” states a joint statement. It also calls for ensuring the safe operation of nuclear power plants in Ukraine and limits itself to interference in food production.