50 out of 160 invited delegations so far confirmed their attendance at the Global Peace Summit on Ukraine, which will take place on June 15 and 16 in Switzerland.
Switzerland organizes the Ukraine Peace Summit at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the aim of establishing a framework for a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
Among the confirmed attendees are:
- President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen
- President of the European Council, Charles Michel
- Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
- French President Emmanuel Macron.
Swiss public radio RTS reports that while the Swiss foreign ministry is satisfied with the replies, it expects more countries to confirm their participation.
The head of communications at the Swiss Foreign Ministry, Nicolas Bideau, emphasized the importance of having countries from the Global South attend.
“We want an open discussion on all the possibilities and reflections for peace in Ukraine. We therefore want numbers, but also North-South representativeness,” Bideau said.
Russia, however, has not been invited to the conference. While President Zelenskyy did not want Russia’s involvement in this summit, Russia also stated that it was not interested in attending, according to RTS.
Despite Russia’s absence, one of the objectives of this summit is to find a way to involve Moscow, according to Bideau.
The Ukraine Peace Summit will occur at the five-star Bürgenstock Hotel above Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland.
Ukraine’s agenda for the Peace Summit
Earlier, President Zelenskyy outlined Ukraine’s agenda for the Global Peace Summit, focusing on energy and nuclear security, free navigation of the Black and Azov Seas to ensure Ukraine’s food security, and prisoner exchanges with Russia, including an “all for all” swap and the return of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia.
Zelenskyy also invited Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the summit, even though the latter opposed military aid to Ukraine and obstructed its bids for EU and NATO membership. It remains unknown whether Orban has accepted the invitation so far.
Speculation surrounds the possible attendance of US President Joe Biden at the upcoming conference in Switzerland. Although no official confirmation was made, the timing is notable. Biden will attend the G7 summit in Italy, which concludes on 15 June, just hours before the Swiss event begins.
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