Global Peace Summit shall open a channel towards achieving a genuine just and lasting peace in Ukraine

Global Peace Summit shall open a channel towards achieving genuine, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine.

The ongoing Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to cause large-scale human suffering and destruction and to create global risks and crises for the world.

While being forced to fight for freedom and the future of our children, Ukraine firmly stands for establishing peace in our country to stop the sufferings of the Ukrainian people, caused by Russian aggression.

Ukrainians are a peaceful nation and need peace the most of all – to stop sufferings and start to restore the country.

In January 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Switzerland Viola Amherd announced an agreement to organize the first Global Peace Summit on the level of the leaders of the state and governments in Switzerland. The Summit will take place on 15-16 June 2024 in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.

This Summit will be built on the previous discussions that have taken place over the past months in the format of the national security advisers’ meetings based on Ukraine’s Peace Formula held in Copenhagen, Jeddah, Malta, and Davos. The latter meeting of advisers united participation of 82 delegations, including from the Kingdom of Thailand.

The Global Peace Summit is aimed to give a platform to discuss various visions on the Peace Process and to give a high-level political start to prepare a joint peace framework, which should restore peace in Ukraine. Based on all discussions made before it is aimed to develop a common and supported by all countries peace plan which shall be further presented to the Russian Federation.

On the first Summit, the aim is also to confirm the crucial principles that all peace-loving nations agree on: inadmissibility of the use of nuclear weapons and the importance of ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities; ensure free navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov as an important element of ensuring food security in the world; the need to settle the humanitarian issues – to ensure the exchange of prisoners and the return to Ukraine of illegally detained, deported, and displaced persons, including children.

The inaugural Global Peace Summit should confirm the commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of states within their internationally recognized borders; the need to restore comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine on the basis of the UN Charter and key principles of international law.

As the biggest violator of international law and the only driving source of this war, Russia was not invited to the Peace Summit in Switzerland. Russia is constantly trying to expand the war, increase the level of terror, and definitely does not show a desire to achieve real peace. That is why the real restoration of peace will begin only when the world community agrees on the most effective way to peace and security and forces Russia to do so. The Peace Formula and the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland offer such an opportunity.

As the Global Peace Summit approaches, Russia’s subversive activities are increasing, aimed at heightening fears of escalation, reducing resolve to support Ukraine, and forcing states to refuse participation in the Summit.

In addition to nuclear saber-rattling near the borders of NATO member states, there are speculations about the possibility of unilaterally revising the borders, now not only in relation to Ukraine but also to NATO member states. In addition to its aspiration to control the Black Sea, Russia demonstrates that it also has intentions to strengthen its influence in the Baltic Sea.

The global response to all these actions should be consolidation around a common goal to protect the UN Charter, its Goals and Principles, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to protect the rules-based world order and respect for international law.

Simultaneously, Russia is regularly sending signals of alleged willingness to negotiate with Ukraine or reach a cease-fire along the current front lines. These signals have nothing to do with a genuine desire to end the war or establish peace.

Russian troops continue to attack Ukraine on multiple fronts, and Russian missiles and drones continue to strike Ukrainian cities and communities, causing numerous casualties and destruction. Only on 25 May 2024, Russian forces killed 19 civilians, including a 12-year-old girl, in a deliberate missile attack on a megastore of the second-largest city of Ukraine – Kharkiv near the border with Russia, which became the deadliest attack Ukraine has seen in the recent weeks.

The reason Russia sends false signals about “peace” is simple. The Kremlin regime is desperately trying to derail the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland on 15-16 June 2024, being scared of its success and tries to confuse and demotivate its participants.

Russia currently has no desire to end its aggression against Ukraine. Only the principled and united voice of the global majority can force the aggressor-state to choose peace over war. This is what the Peace Summit is intended to achieve.

And this is why it is crucial to ensure the united global call for peace from all continents and parts of the world at the Peace Summit. When the entire world speaks out in support of restoring the full force of the UN Charter and international law, Russia will be forced to choose peace.

By: Pavlo Orel, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Thailand 

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