War in Ukraine: at the request of Kyiv, Switzerland agrees to organize a “peace summit”

Meeting for peace, without Moscow. Switzerland has agreed to organize a high-level peace “summit” at Ukraine’s request, the two countries’ presidents said Monday at a news conference in Kersatz, near the Swiss capital Bern.

But Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky immediately warned that Russia would not be welcome at the summit. “As for countries that want to participate, we are open to everyone, to all countries in the world that respect our sovereignty and our territorial integrity. This way we can conclude who will be invited,” he said, answering a journalist’s question about Russia’s possible participation in the summit.

“We hope that this summit will add significant energy to everything that was discussed. And we hope that the end of the war will be fair and the triumph of justice will be restored. Switzerland is our partner in this,” he added.

Check conditions

In a press release issued after the press conference, Switzerland said it was “ready to organize, at the request of the Ukrainian president, a high-level conference on a peace formula” between senior representatives.

The conditions for continuing the operation are determined. Swiss President Viola Amherd assured that both countries will begin work on the summit on Tuesday.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Switzerland has stood firm on its military neutrality. As such, it has refused to send weapons to Ukraine or allow countries including Germany to re-export Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine, a move that has sometimes drawn criticism from Kyiv.

Swiss assistance in demining

However, it has joined international sanctions aimed at Russia, and the Ukrainian president also welcomed Switzerland’s humanitarian support on Monday, especially in terms of mine clearance.

This year, two conferences on mine clearance, a key problem for Ukraine, are to be held – one in the spring, the other in the fall, Vladimir Zelensky told reporters.

Switzerland is very involved in this topic and has provided around 400 million francs (427 million euros) in aid to Ukraine and neighboring countries as part of international cooperation following the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian president also expressed hope that frozen Russian assets could be used for reconstruction. The Russian asset freeze should not be “just punishment,” he said: “Whoever started this war must pay the highest price for it.”