Via Sarah Rainsford, Eastern European correspondent • Jordanian guarantee, BBC news
EPAThe leaders of Italy and Germany have strongly objected to the ceasefire terms offered by Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine, as many countries gathered at a two-day summit in Switzerland to discuss about ending the conflict.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the Russian President’s plan “propaganda” and suggested that Ukraine “must withdraw from Ukraine”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed it as a “authoritarian peace”.
A draft declaration issued at the summit reaffirmed Ukraine’s territorial integrity and explicitly rejected any nuclear threat against the country.
On Friday, Putin announced he would agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine withdrew its troops from four regions that Russia partly occupied and declared annexed.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told the BBC at the Swiss summit that there would be “no compromise on independence, sovereignty or territorial integrity”.
Putin revealed his terms ahead of a two-day Ukraine Peace Summit aimed at discussing the basic principles for ending the war.
More than 90 countries and global organizations are attending the event. It was Ukraine’s largest gathering since the full-scale invasion.
But Russia was not invited and China – Russia’s key ally – also did not attend, so expectations for significant progress at this stage are very low.
Commenting on Mr. Putin’s proposal, Ms. Meloni said: “To me, the negotiation proposal telling Ukraine that it must withdraw from Ukraine does not seem to be particularly effective.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused the Russian President of “fabricating a fake story about his willingness to negotiate”.
He added that countries helping Russia provide weapons “are going against history”.
Ukraine touted the gathering at a remote location in Bürgenstock as a success, pointing to its global reach and the number of countries present.
Mr. Zelensky said Ukraine wants to “give diplomacy a chance” and show that “joint efforts” can prevent war.
“I believe we will see history made at this summit,” he said. May a just peace be established as soon as possible.”
His assistant Mr. Yermak – an influential figure in Ukrainian politics – dismissed China’s absence and suggested that when the general plan for peace talks is ready, it could presented to Russia.
“We think that could happen at the second summit at the leadership level,” he said.
Mr. Putin has ruled out any kind of peace process on Ukraine’s terms. The four regions of Ukraine that he wants Ukraine to withdraw from are only partially occupied by Russia, which claims to have annexed them in 2022. The voting process held then was denounced by Ukraine and the West as a sham create.
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said that “freezing today’s conflict with foreign troops occupying Ukrainian soil is not the answer”.
“In fact, it is a recipe for future wars of aggression,” she said.
Mr. Putin’s ceasefire terms are considered by Ukraine to “offend common sense”.
Participating countries are expected to formally adopt a draft declaration reaffirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity on Sunday.
The leaders also stated that safe commercial shipping in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov is critical to global food security. The draft text also calls for the exchange of prisoners of war.
EPAThe Swiss Summit is about to take place after G7 leaders agreed to use profits from Russia’s frozen assets to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s invading forces.
About $325 billion in assets were frozen by G7 and EU countries following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The profits generated from those assets amount to about $3 billion per year.
According to the G7 plan, that 3 billion USD will be used to pay annual interest on a 50 billion USD loan to Ukraine taken to the international market.
The money is expected to arrive later this year but is seen as a more long-term solution to support Ukraine’s war effort and economy.
In the short term, Ukraine says it urgently needs more weapons – mainly air defense systems to fend off Russian missile and drone attacks, as well as F-16 fighter jets. which they hope to start shipping as early as this summer.
