BUERGENSTOCK, Switzerland. Western powers and other nations pushed for consensus on ending the war in Ukraine at a Swiss summit on Sunday. However, some countries may not support its final conclusions, and there is no clarity on whether future talks will involve Russia.
The two-day summit at a Swiss Alpine resort, attended by over 90 countries, was convened at the behest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Notably absent were Moscow and China. Russia, which was not invited and had expressed no desire to attend, dismissed the summit as a waste of time and proposed rival solutions from afar.
Despite these challenges, the conference highlighted Ukraine’s broad support from its allies and the difficulties of achieving a lasting ceasefire. Ukrainian forces have faced recent military setbacks and delays in Western aid, with Russia currently controlling about 20% of Ukraine.
A draft of the final declaration, seen by Reuters, refers to Russia’s invasion as a “war”—a term Moscow rejects—and calls for Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov Sea ports to be restored. The draft, dated June 13, emphasizes respecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity but omits tougher issues like Ukraine’s potential NATO membership and details on troop withdrawals.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer indicated that the declaration’s wording might not achieve unanimous support. The summit also aimed to name the host for another such meeting, possibly Saudi Arabia, but Nehammer stated it was too early to determine the format or Russia’s participation.
“In my view, the communique will not be signed by everyone, because again it’s a question of the specific choice of words, but even those who won’t sign it have all made clear that their position is the same, that the war must end,” Nehammer said. “The more allies that can be found to say ‘Things can’t go on like this,’ ‘This is too much,’ ‘That’s overstepping the mark,’ that also increases the moral pressure on the Russian Federation.”
The Kremlin did not rule out future talks with Kyiv but emphasized the need for guarantees to ensure the credibility of any negotiations. A source mentioned that it was unclear if Saudi Arabia would be announced as the next host for talks.
Leaders including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmanuel Macron gathered at the Buergenstock resort to bolster international support for ending the war. Many Western leaders condemned the invasion and rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands for parts of Ukraine as a condition for peace.
“The text is balanced, all of our principled positions on which Ukraine had insisted have been considered,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said regarding the final communique. “Of course we…understand perfectly that a time will come when it will be necessary to talk to Russia,” he added. “But our position is very clear: We will not allow Russia to speak in the language of ultimatums like it is speaking now.”
As some leaders departed early, Sunday’s talks shifted towards pursuing joint positions on nuclear and food security, and the return of prisoners of war and children removed from Ukraine during the conflict.
Zelenskiy praised the summit as a show of international support for Kyiv, even as some European allies stressed the need for broader outreach. One of the summit’s goals was to announce the host country for a follow-up meeting.
Saudi Arabia, a favorite to host the next summit, expressed readiness to assist in the peace process. However, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud cautioned that a viable settlement would require “difficult compromise.”
Striking a balance in the summit’s final declaration between condemning Russia’s invasion and achieving broad support has been a diplomatic challenge, sources say. Russia criticized the summit, while China’s absence dampened hopes of demonstrating Russia’s global isolation.
“None of the participants in the ‘peace forum’ knows what he is doing there and what his role is,” said Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and now deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council. Meanwhile, Nils Fiechter of the right-wing Swiss Peoples’ Party (SVP) appeared on Russia Today, calling the summit a “farce” and arguing that it undermined Swiss neutrality, insisting that Russia needed a seat at the table.
