World leaders back just peace for Ukraine as Zelensky laments China’s absence from summit
- Over 90 countries attended a Swiss summit at the behest of Ukraine’s president – but Russia was not invited and China did not come
World leaders on Sunday backed Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity, and the need for eventual talks with Russia on ending the war – but left the key questions of how and when unresolved.
More than two years after Russia invaded, leaders and top officials from more than 90 states spent the weekend at a Swiss mountainside resort for a two-day summit dedicated to resolving the largest European conflict since World War II.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the diplomatic “success” of the event, to which Russia was not invited, and China did not attend. The path was open for a second peace summit, with a view to ending the war with a just and lasting settlement, he added.
“Russia and their leadership are not ready for a just peace,” Zelensky told the closing news conference.
“Russia can start negotiations with us even tomorrow without waiting for anything – if they leave our legal territories.”
Zelensky called for Beijing, which refused to send a delegation to the summit due to Russia’s absence, to engage seriously with the developing peace proposals.
