Day Two of the Summit on Peace for Ukraine in Switzerland, As It Happened

In response to Ukraine’s request, Switzerland has convened over 100 global delegations for the inaugural Summit on Peace for Ukraine, taking place on June 15-16, 2024, at the Bürgenstock resort.

This summit aims to advance the Ukrainian peace formula and other UN Charter-based proposals, fostering dialogue on achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.

Stay with us for live updates as the Summit unfolds.

18:15

The Summit on Peace for Ukraine has come to an end, thank you for tuning in.

Slava Ukraini!

18:00

All press conferences have ended. We are on stand-by.

Meanwhile, here is a moody photo of President Zelenskyy.

17:15

Closing press conference by President Amherd & Swiss Foreign Minister Cassis.

“Out of 90 states present, 84 have signed the communique. That is a high number. I’m convinced that is a good result.”

17:00

Question on the Istanbul Peace Negotiation in 2022:
There’s a lot of talk about the peace negotiation in Istanbul in 2022. Could you explain why it ultimately failed?

President Zelenskyy: The negotiations failed because they were not true negotiations, but rather ultimatums from Putin. He arrived with tanks during the full-scale invasion, surrounding our capital and occupying many regions of our country. Despite all the atrocities they committed, they continued to present ultimatums.

These ultimatums did not change over time; they were consistent in their demands. As my colleague mentioned, Putin’s recent proposals are no different from those he made before. He doesn’t offer genuine proposals; he only offers ultimatums.

During the negotiations in Istanbul, the ultimatums were merely a tactic for a frozen conflict, giving Putin the pause he needed to prepare for the full-scale invasion. Therefore, any ultimatums from Putin are just means for him to gain time to train his military because he has already lost a significant portion of his trained army.”

This concluded the press conference.

16:15

Final press conference and Q&A with President Zelenskyy commences:

“Russia can start negotiations with us tomorrow without waiting for anything. If they leave our legitimate territories.”

“This summit shows that international support for Ukraine does not weaken.”

15:40

Closing press conference by Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau commences.

“We must remember that wherever there is war, there is human suffering. I think of the children, the soldiers and their families, the farmers, the nurses, and everyone impacted. Many countries represented at this summit have felt the legacy of wars and strife. We know how these effects can last not just years or decades, but even generations.”

“Earlier today, I chaired a session where we talked about prisoners and deported people, especially children. Close to 20,000 children are estimated to have been taken from their homes, from their families, and from their language, culture, and identity. This is something the global community needs to come together to call for an end to. In the coming months, Canada intends to host a foreign ministers meeting to advance the work on the human cost of this war, particularly its humanitarian aspects.”

15:35

Closing press conference by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy commences.

“It’s important that all participants of the summit supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity because there will be no lasting peace without territorial integrity.”

“We already have preliminary agreements with countries such as France, Czechia, Turkey, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Norway, Poland, Canada, Qatar, Chile, Ghana, Finland, the Netherlands, and Germany to host the work of the groups to lead and call it.”

“The first and the second peace summits should unite our joint work on the details of peace. We are at war, and we don’t have time for prolonged work. Moving to peace means acting fast. Preparations will take months, not years. So, when the action plans for peace are ready and every step is worked out, the path will be opened for the Second Peace Summit and thus for ending this war for a just and lasting peace.”

15:30

Closing press conference by Viola Amherd commences.

14:38

Viola Amherd, President of Switzerland, begins her closing remarks.

14:35

President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, begins his closing remarks:

“We must free thousands of people who have had years of their lives taken away, who are being lied to, who are told that no one is waiting for them. Imagine what a personal catastrophe this is for each person, for each child in captivity. We have to free them all.”

14:33

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada:

“As Volodymyr pointed out last night, today, in many, many countries around the world, it’s Father’s Day. This evening, many of us will be home with our kids. Not everyone is so lucky. In Ukraine, thousands of kids have been taken from their families, their homes, their communities. Ukraine says that close to 20,000 children were taken by Russia. We’ve recently seen reports of Ukrainian children being listed on Russian adoption websites. They’re being forced to forget their identity as Ukrainians. We all know the consequence of removing children from their language, their culture, their families, their identity. It’s a form of colonialism that the world cannot abide.”

“Canada is announcing $15 million in funding to support the reintegration of displaced children returning to Ukraine through improved child protection services and family-based care options in their schools, their playgrounds, and their communities. This funding will also improve access to justice for survivors of war crimes, among other measures.”

14:32

Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Latvia:

“I had my own experience being in Ukraine when the war started on 21st of February 2022. I saw the horror of the first hours. I saw people fleeing and I think that those memories will be with me throughout the whole life. But I also believe that we are seeing, and many of colleagues have mentioned here, children who have been abducted by the Russian Federation, the children who, when they visit our countries, when they have a couple of nights without air alerts, without bombing or drones overflying, they are again in their childhood. And I think that it is very important that we continue, while we are talking about the peace, addressing the real issues also on humanitarian.”

“Also, one thing that I want to particularly mention is, I’m coming from the country, Latvia, that has history of Soviet occupation and colonialism. What we see in Ukraine today is what many of the countries here present have seen also in the past. Russia is the country that is launching a colonial war and I think that it is also very important that we look at this war from this aspect. Have the world’s communities support to work out the comprehensive roadmap and to continue the very good spirit that we have seen here also in the future. Thank you.”

14:30

Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State Holy See:

“It [Holy See] wishes to reaffirm the validity of the fundamental principle of respect for the sovereignty of each country and for the integrity of its territory.”

14:25

Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States:

“Russia is a great country with a great history, great culture. So Russia, to honor their greatness, Russia has to stop sucking the blood of this world has been already enough for the whole world.”

14:20

Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor of the United States:

“What is most interesting in watching these last two days is the split-screen of this weekend with what we heard from President Putin as he laid out his vision for peace a couple of days ago, where he said, not only does Ukraine have to give up the territory Russia currently occupies, but Ukraine has to leave additional sovereign Ukrainian territory before Russia will negotiate. And Ukraine must disarm so that it is vulnerable to future Russian aggression down the road. No responsible nation can say that is a reasonable basis for peace. It defies the UN Charter, it defies basic morality, it defies basic common sense.”

14:15

Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico:

“We would like to say that this war in Europe is posing an existential security threat, not only for Europe, but for the global community as a whole. It is time then, because we in the Global South are suffering also the consequences related to food security, energy, and of course it is time, we believe, to advocate for peace and not war.”

14:10

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General of the UN:

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine violates the United Nations Charter and international law and has caused immense suffering to the people of Ukraine. Further, UN General Assembly resolutions have supported the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. Many voices during this meeting have stressed the need to adhere to the principles of the UN Charter. These principles are as valid today as they were in 1945.”

14:05

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, President of North Macedonia:

“Ukraine is a burning issue not only for Europe but for the entire world. The fact that I am representing my country at the highest level to date is another confirmation of our principled position and firm support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Let me repeat that this war affects us all. Ukraine undergoes massive human suffering and destruction. Europe’s security architecture is under threat.”

“I remember the question posed by Hemingway: For whom the bell tolls? My short answer is: for us, not only as the responsible politicians but also as human beings. Thank you.”

14:00

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay Omar Paganini:

“The impact of this war has gone much further than the directly involved countries, so the engagement of the international community is mandatory.”

13:55

Diplomatic Advisor to President of UAE Anwar Gargash:

“I would like to underline the need for the Russian Federation to become part of efforts such as this summit to find a negotiated settlement. A settlement that is in line with the principles of international law, respect for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of all states.”

13:50

Bajram Begaj, President of Albania:

“The road to peace should never be a road to surrender. It is instead a path paved with the courage to uphold our values. As we seek a resolution, we must ensure that the support for Ukraine must continue. We gather here not to coerce, but to encourage, not to impose, but to propose paths toward peace that respect the interest and integrity for all. Together, let us transform the hope of today into the peace of tomorrow. Thank you.”

13:45

José Ulisses Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cabo Verde:

“The war in Ukraine is not indifferent to any country in the world. Due to the values at stake and the consequences of the war, it is important to fight for peace.”

13:40

Vjosa Osmani, President of Kosovo:

“Colleagues, 25 years ago I was a child of war, deported from her house, hiding from the shelling of the aggressor in the mountains, holding a little radio in my hand, listening alongside many other children, while leaders like yourselves were discussing whether to come to our rescue or not. Later on I became a refugee. But you did come to our rescue. Your countries did not turn a blind eye to our suffering. You came to our rescue and you gave me a chance to come back now, 25 years after, and thank you for becoming our saviors. I hope you give that same chance to the children of Ukraine. Thank you.”

13:30

Ebba Busch, Vice Prime Minister of Sweden:

“I will never ever forget the words of a young Ukrainian soldier that I had the opportunity to meet in Kyiv, who had served for the 79th air assault brigade at the front, lost his legs, had his leg amputated just a few weeks ago before we met. His name is Oleksandr. And he looked me straight into the eye and he said, remember this, Putin will not stop at Ukraine. And I say this with some weight, Russia as a neighbor. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to us, led us to reassess our own policy of two centuries and seek together with Finland the reassurance of membership in NATO. That’s a major change for a country as Sweden. But a necessary one and a direct result of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and indefensible war of aggression.”

“The path to peace looks like a narrow and complicated one, but I would like to finish off by saying this: Putin can be the bearer of peace tomorrow. Bring the children back home to Ukraine. Call back the troops to Russia. Slava Ukraini. Thank you.”

13:25

Nataša Pirc Musar, President of Slovenia:

“Who is the member, the permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations? Five countries which were the winners in the Second World War, Russia among them. The assurance was that those countries are going to take care of peace and security of the whole planet. Is Russia fulfilling this duty? No. it’s not why the fight in [Ukraine] is so important. [Ukraine] is not only fighting for you know freedom and sovereignty of its own country, [Ukraine] is fighting basically for the whole planet to respect the international law.”

13:20

Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Norway:

“I think, finally, there can be no double language on international law and the Charter of the UN. It is one language. And that’s why we have to be principled on the Middle East, on Gaza, on Sudan, and the rest of the world. So, Mr. President, we will be with you on that next phase. You have to continue to engage with us on how to make the next summit successful. And after this summit, I feel just more inspired that we will succeed on that road. Slava Ukraini!”

13:15

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa:

“When Russia started the war, it started a war not only against Ukraine, but against the whole world and international law.”

13:05

Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy:

“We need to join all our possible efforts in order to help Ukraine look towards the future. That’s exactly what we did at the G7 summit under the Italian presidency, where we just reached an agreement to make approximately USD 50 billion of additional financial support available to Kyiv by the end of the year, leveraging the extraordinary revenues of the immobilized Russian sovereign assets. This is an extremely significant achievement, the result of a great teamwork done by the G7 leader. So, dear Volodymyr, I am here to tell you that you can continue to count on us for as long as it takes.”

13:00

Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands:

“We are totally united, have a shared vision on principles, on values, on decency. You do not invade another country. You do not abduct children. You do not play politics with the world’s food supply. And you do not endanger nuclear safety. Volodymyr, this gathering sends a strong signal, a strong signal to the people of Ukraine, a signal that not only the people of Ukraine want peace, but all of us gathered here want peace.”

12:54

Gitanas Nausėda President of Lithuania:

“Our collective obligation is to stand in full solidarity with Ukraine, whatever Ukraine’s victory takes.”

12:50

Closing plenary has commenced live.

12:30

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba announces that the drafting of the final declaration for the Summit on Peace for Ukraine has been completed:

• “As of now, the work on the text is finished. At the end of the summit, the presidents will announce the approval of the resolution, which will be a declaration open for other countries to join after the summit concludes.”

• “The text of the declaration is balanced, and all our fundamental positions, which Ukraine insisted upon, have been included.”

• “We hear everyone, and the President emphasized this in his opening address. This is not the kind of event that Russia likes, where everyone gathers to speak in unison with Russia. It is through such open dialogue that we can reach the right decisions.”

• “There will come a moment when we will need to talk to Russia. But our position is very clear. We will not allow Russia to speak in the language of ultimatums, as it does now,” stated the Minister.