At a peace conference held in Switzerland, 81 countries and the EU signed off on a joint final declaration on Sunday. Among the countries that approved the declaration were Austria, Germany, and the USA, as well as the EU Parliament and European Council. However, several key nations such as Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Vatican City, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, and the UAE were absent from the agreement.
Despite efforts to initiate a peace process with long-term Russian involvement in Ukraine at the summit in Switzerland that concluded with over 90 states participating. Swiss President Viola Amherd stated that there was no unanimity among participating heads of state and government on how Russia should be involved in future peace talks. The lack of agreement was mainly due to disagreements on when Russia should be included and what role it should play in any future peace deal.
Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer acknowledged that while there was no unanimity among attendees at the summit but emphasized that a common basic attitude was present. Discussions at the summit addressed important topics such as protecting the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, renunciation of nuclear weapons by both sides and demands for prisoner exchanges.
In her address US Vice President Kamala Harris dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands as absurd and reiterated continued support for Ukraine in its defensive struggle against Russia. The final declaration of the summit condemned Russia for its actions in Ukraine and called for respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity. It also demanded Russia to release all Ukrainian prisoners of war immediately.
