On May 2, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially announced that an international conference on Ukraine will be held on June 15-16. President of Ukraine Zeleski addressed Switzerland with such a request. According to Swiss President Viola Alherd, an invitation was sent to representatives of 160 countries and international organizations. He specially emphasized that China, India, Brazil and the South African Republic, as well as Pope Francis, are invited to the conference.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov assessed Switzerland’s initiative as an “absolute dead end”. He stated that Russia will not participate in discussions of any format, that they are “dedicated to Zelensky’s principles of settlement”. He said that Russia is “open to negotiations based on the facts”. According to the Italian Larepublica commentator, “NATO agreed with Russia on two red lines: Belarus will not participate in the war, Russia will not attack the Baltic countries.”
Moscow actually proposes that Kiev agree to establish a ceasefire on the existing line of contact. The commentator of Turkish Anadolu believes that the military aid allocated by the US to Ukraine “may prevent the loss of new Ukrainian territories, but it is not enough to make a breakthrough on the front”. Apparently, this should be understood in the sense that even “Washington will agree to the establishment of a Russian-Ukrainian cease-fire with the existing realities” – because he also adds that “the US already has the main receivable: the military-industrial complex is being updated.”
Which countries and at what level will participate in the conference organized in Switzerland? Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that “a number of partners” of the Global South justified their participation to Moscow in order to “explain the ineffectiveness of any discussion without the presence of Russia”. Information appeared in the American press that if President Biden fails to “achieve an effective solution” in the Russian-Ukrainian and Israeli-Palestinian crisis, he will not run for office, and the Democrats will enter the race through Michelle Obama.
In this context, Georgia’s internal political uncertainty is an open challenge for Armenia. The actual “Georgian Dream” has chosen a path that takes Georgia away from the USA and the European Union. After negotiations with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Ilham Aliyev made it clear that he remains in the Russian camp. If the West, in the form of NATO, has “agreed on red lines” with Russia in Ukraine, what is its “divisiveness” with Russia in the South Caucasus? What if Georgia “surrenders” to Russia?
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