Switzerland Backs China and Brazil’s Ukraine Peace Initiative, Despite Omissions on UN Charter

Switzerland supports the principles of the initiative proposed by China and Brazil, as it “advocates for a ceasefire and a political resolution to the conflict,” said Nicolas Bideau, spokesperson for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), in a comment to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Friday in response to an article published by Le Temps.

“The initiative is important because it offers an alternative to the bellicose speeches made this week at the UN by both the Ukrainian and Russian sides,” Bideau reportedly said, according to Swissinfo.

On Friday, Switzerland was invited to a meeting organized by China and Brazil, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Bideau confirmed that Switzerland was the only Western country invited to the meeting. According to Le Temps, the United States and Europe do not support the initiative, viewing the absence of any reference to the UN Charter as tacit approval of Moscow’s strategy.

“Similar to what it did at Bürgenstock, Switzerland is ready to join forces and support all peace initiatives in Ukraine,” Bideau said, referring to the Summit on Peace for Ukraine, held in Switzerland this June.

In his speech at the UN General Assembly on September 25, President Zelenskyy criticized any peace initiatives negotiated without Ukraine’s participation, saying: “What part of this [the Peace Formula] could be unacceptable to anyone who upholds the UN charter? If someone in the world seeks alternatives to any of these points or tries to ignore any of them, it likely means they themselves want to do a part of what Putin is doing.”