Switzerland has recently announced its intention to host an international conference in June, aiming to facilitate a high-level dialogue on achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine based on international law and the UN Charter. Leaders from major Global South countries, including India, as well as Western nations, have been invited to participate. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed his attendance, his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, has expressed disdain for the scheduled peace talks. Putin has warned that Moscow will not accept any enforced plans that disregard Russian interests and has claimed that Russia has not even been invited to the conference. He retorted, "They think there is nothing for us to do there, but at the same time they say it's impossible to decide anything without us." Additionally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed the meeting as a Western tactic to garner broader international support for Kyiv.
It is evident that any viable peace plan for
Ukraine necessitates the participation and consent of Russia. Putin has already
rejected Zelenskyy's proposed formula, which involves Moscow's troop
withdrawal, payment of compensation to Ukraine, and facing an international
tribunal for alleged crimes. The Western-led attempt to take the initiative
through the Swiss talks runs the risk of being counterproductive and further
prolonging the three-year-long war that has caused global disruptions in supply
chains.
Switzerland, which has emphasized that "peace
is at the heart of the Swiss spirit," bears the responsibility to make
every effort to bring Russia to the negotiating table. Additionally, it is
imperative to involve influential actors like China in the peace talks. India,
regarded as a potential mediator due to its positive relations with both
warring nations, must play a proactive role in preventing the June summit from
becoming a failure and devolving into a mere display of Western strength.
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