The final declaration of the peace summit in Ukraine in Switzerland was approved by 80 of the 93 participating states on Sunday at the end of the two-day event.
The countries that have not signed include six states from the G20 group of the world’s leading economic powers: Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, India and Indonesia, according to a list published by the Swiss host countries.
Armenia, Bahrain, Thailand, Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Colombia and the Vatican also did not support the document released at the Bürgenstock mountain hotel near Lucerne.
Brazil, India, South Africa and the UAE are united with Russia in the so-called BRICS group and maintain friendly relations with Russia, despite the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The draft final declaration took this into account and did not explicitly condemn Moscow for its actions.
Instead, it recalls the Charter of the United Nations: “In particular, we reaffirm our commitment to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State,” the text reads .
The principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, must be respected, the report said.
The signatories also support the protection of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, which is occupied by Russia, and agree that any threat to use nuclear weapons should be condemned.
They also call for unhindered grain exports from Ukraine, which are especially important for impoverished countries in Africa and other parts of the world.
The statement also calls for the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of children and other civilians abducted from Ukraine to Russia.
Earlier in the day, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer anticipated incomplete support for the document, while downplaying its significance.
This, according to Nehammer, was only because of its exact wording, and not because of a lack of support for efforts to broker peace in Ukraine.
The basic common position would not be affected, he said: “That’s why I’m not so worried if everyone doesn’t sign now.”
The question about the scope of a follow-up conference was also difficult to answer. Before Russia also takes a seat at the negotiating table, a new conference in a different format is conceivable, Nehammer said.
“You really have to see it as a process,” he says.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the conference as such has brought significant progress.
Kuleba said all countries that were not present were also aware of the impetus given by the meeting. Overall, the process that has been initiated is very welcome, he said: “We are on the right track.”
Kuleba once again emphasized the need to support Ukraine militarily with weapons of the highest possible quality. The stronger Ukraine is, the more willing Moscow will be to negotiate peace, he said.
The purpose of the event was to initiate a peace process that would also involve Russia in the long term. Moscow officials were not invited to this occasion nor had they expressed a desire to attend.
