New Delhi: Noting that a resolution requires both Russia and Ukraine to be at the table, India – along with around a dozen other countries – refused to sign the final communique of the Swiss peace summit that underlined Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Over two years after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, ninety-two countries took part in a conference at the Swiss mountain resort of Burgenstock. Russia was not invited to the peace summit.
At the end of the two-day summit on Sunday (June 16), 79 countries signed the final document, which stated that the “principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, can and will serve as a basis in achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”.
A statement issued by the Indian ministry of external affairs confirmed that India “did not associate itself with any communique/document emerging from this summit”.
Indicating that the lack of an invitation to Russia was a key reason for its stance, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)’s statement said: “We continue to believe that such a resolution requires a sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict.”
It added that India’s participation in the summit and other diplomatic meetings was consistent “with our approach to facilitate a lasting and peaceful resolution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy”.
“In this regard, India will continue to remain engaged with all stakeholders as well as both the parties to contribute to all earnest efforts to bring about an early and abiding peace,” it said.
India was represented by the MEA’s secretary (west), Pavan Kapoor.
In the Indian national statement delivered on Saturday, Kapoor also said that India’s participation was with a “view to understanding different perspectives, approaches and options to find a way forward for a sustainable resolution of the conflict”.
“In our view, only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace in line with this approach. We have decided to avoid association with a joint communique or any other document emerging from the summit,” he said.
Indonesia, which had also not signed the communique, emphasised the need for consistent application of international law and the presence of all conflicting parties for negotiating a solution.
“Consistency should also be upheld in international laws, matters particularly international humanitarian laws … It applies to [the] war in Ukraine as it should also apply in the war in Gaza,” said Indonesia’s ambassador to Switzerland, Swajaya Ngurah.
Besides India, the other countries that didn’t endorse the document were Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Suriname, Mexico, Armenia, Bahrain, Colombia, Jordan, Libya and the Vatican.
This effectively means that all BRICS countries have distanced themselves from the outcome of the Swiss summit. Brazil, incidentally, had attended only as an observer.
India’s position is not surprising as it has consistently refused to criticise Russia publicly for starting the Ukraine war. It has also abstained from any United Nations resolutions that explicitly criticise Russia, even as New Delhi talked about the importance of the UN Charter and “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states” in its statements on Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded at the end of the peace summit in Switzerland that the support of Western and other leaders shows that the rule of international law can be restored.
“I hope that we can achieve results as soon as possible,” he told the plenary. “We’ll prove to everyone in the world that the UN Charter can be restored to full effectiveness.”
According to Zelenskyy, he will be open to immediate peace talks with Russia if it withdraws its troops from his country.
“Russia can start the negotiations with us tomorrow, not waiting for anything, if they pull out from our legal territories,” the Ukrainian president said.
But he also said that Russia was “not ready” to discuss a just and lasting peace. “Russia does not want peace … Russia and their leadership are not ready for a just peace, that’s a fact,” he added.
Zelenskyy said that participants at the Swiss summit had agreed to continue working in special groups to develop “action plans for peace”.
“We agreed to start to work in special after-summit groups on specific ideas, proposals and developments that can restore security in various aspects,” the Ukrainian leader told a news conference.
“When the action plans for peace are ready and when every step is worked out, the path will be opened for the second peace summit,” he added.
On the eve of the Swiss summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented Moscow’s proposal, stating readiness to cease the war if Ukraine surrendered four provinces, abandoned NATO aspirations and lifted all Western sanctions. Deeming the Russian proposal “absurd”, Ukraine rejected it.
With inputs from DW.
