Ukraine Peace Summit: 80 countries sign joint communique, India opts out

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, and other leaders at the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland (Photo: AP)

Eighty countries on Sunday came together to issue a statement that called for territorial integrity to be the basis for any peace agreement to end the Russian war on Ukraine. India did not join these countries in the statement.

The statement was issued at the conclusion of a two-day Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland that began on Saturday. Russia was not part of the conference, formally called the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, and its principal partner China also skipped it.

Stressing that peace in Ukraine will come from peace and diplomacy, the joint statement said, "The United Nations Charter, including the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, can and will serve as a basis in achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

While most of the Western countries rallied behind Ukraine in signing the joint statement, the countries that skipped the signing included India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

'Only solutions acceptable to both parties can bring peace': India

India was represented at the summit by Pawan Kapoor, who holds the Secretary (West) designation in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). In a statement from Switzerland, he said that India will not be part of the joint statement as it is being issued without the participation of both the parties to the conflict.

"In our view, only those solutions acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace. In line with this approach, we have decided to avoid association with the joint communique or any other document emerging from this summit," said Kapoor.

While Kapoor called the summit an "important" gathering to seek the way forward to a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine War, he stressed the need for the presence of both the parties in any initiative for peace.

Kapoor further said, "We continue to believe that such a peace requires bringing together all stakeholders and a sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict. Accordingly, we will continue to engage with all stakeholders as well as two parties to the conflict to contribute to all earnest efforts to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine. Our participation in the summit and continued engagement with all stakeholders is with the view of understanding different perspectives, approaches, and options to find a sustainable way forward for a sustainable resolution of the conflict."

What was Ukraine peace summit about?

Without Russia's participation, the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland was always unlikely to produce any breakthrough.

The only major outcome is in the form of consensus of 80 countries that the peace in Ukraine must not come at the cost of giving up territorial integrity.

From the onset, there were three areas that the summit had sought to address:

Nuclear safety, including at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant under Russia control

Humanitarian assistance and an exchange; of prisoner of war (PoWs)

Global food security which has been disrupted as food exports from Ukraine have been affected from the fighting

Ahead of the summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said that the summit would mark the historic first steps towards peace in Ukraine.

"We have succeeded in bringing back to the world the idea that joint efforts can stop war and establish a just peace. I believe that we will witness history being made here at the summit," said Zelenskyy.

Following the summit, European Union (EU) chief Ursula von der Leyen said that the summit was not a peace conference as Russian President Vladimir Putin is not serious about peace. Referring to his recent demands for entering into ceasefire talks that demand the surrender of four border regions of Ukraine in its entirely, she highlighted that Putin is demanding the surrender of territories it does not even occupy at the moment.

"It was not a peace negotiation because Putin is not serious about ending the war. He is insisting on capitulation. He is insisting on ceding Ukrainian territory — even territory that today is not occupied by him. He is insisting on disarming Ukraine, leaving it vulnerable to future aggression. No country would ever accept these outrageous terms," said Von Der Leyen.