On Sunday, prior to the World Economic Forum, representatives from 83 nations met in Davos, Switzerland to discuss Ukraine’s 10-point proposal for achieving peace and ending the conflict with Russia.
This is the fourth instance of Ukraine arranging a meeting based on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal, which demands the full removal of Russian presence from all Ukrainian territories.
At the meeting, there were 83 delegations present, with 18 from Asia and 12 from Africa. This is a notable increase from the 65 that attended the previous talks in Malta last October. The meeting was preceded by two other gatherings in Copenhagen and Jeddah.
Representatives from emerging nations like Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa participated in discussions concerning national security. These countries, along with China and Russia, are members of the BRICS alliance.
The Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis, is co-hosting the discussions at Davos. He praised the attendees and noted their potential to have a significant impact on the talks.
Cassis stated that the involvement of the BRICS alliance holds significant significance due to their connection to Russia. This collective effort has the potential to draw in nations that may not be directly involved in the conflict, but can still have an impact on China and Russia.
However, Cassis pointed out that China was not present during the discussions.
“China’s involvement is crucial. We need to figure out how to collaborate with China on this,” he stated during a press briefing in the middle of the negotiations.
Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff for Ukraine’s president, expressed admiration for the growing participation of countries from the Global South in Ukraine’s peace initiatives. He echoed remarks made by Cassis on Sunday, emphasizing the significance of China’s involvement in the talks regarding the “peace formula” procedure.
Andriy Yermak, the Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, and Ignazio Cassis, the Swiss Foreign Affairs Minister, were present at the 4th gathering of National Security Advisers in Davos on January 14, 2024 to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine.
It is uncertain whether the BRICS members support Zelenskyy’s proposal for peace, which includes Russia’s full retreat from Ukrainian lands, their responsibility for war crimes, and the repatriation of numerous Ukrainian children taken by Russia.
Russia, which was not invited to the meeting, controls a little less than one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. It has dismissed Kyiv’s “peace formula” as absurd as Ukraine aims to find peace without Moscow’s participation.
On Sunday, Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska stated that there is a low chance of Ukraine and Russia reaching peace before May 2025.
Deripaska stated on the messaging platform Telegram that it is unfortunate that there will be no Russian delegation for a productive discussion regarding the situation in Ukraine.
During a press conference, Yermak stated that Ukraine would only accept Russia’s complete withdrawal from all Ukrainian territories.
According to him, Ukraine has never been asked by any allies to make a compromise that they know is unacceptable. Additionally, Ukraine will never agree to a “frozen conflict.”
He stated that the top priority for all Ukrainians is to emerge victorious in this war.
In a previous announcement made by the Ukrainian president, Yermak stated that a basic truce would not put an end to Russia’s hostile actions towards Ukraine.
This is certainly not the way to achieve peace. The Russians are not seeking peace; rather, they desire domination.
Yermak was asked if Zelenskyy, who did not attend the Davos meeting on Sunday, would have a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Li Qiang will be leading a delegation at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. Yermak replied, “We’ll have to wait and see,” and mentioned that he had not yet seen the Ukrainian president’s completed schedule.
Cassis stated that on Tuesday, Zelenskyy will speak at the World Economic Forum in an attempt to maintain global attention on Ukraine’s defense, as support for Kyiv weakens in the Western world.
According to a statement on Telegram from the president’s office, Zelenskyy will travel to Bern, Switzerland on Monday to hold meetings with the leaders of the two parliamentary houses, political party leaders, and the Swiss president.
According to Bloomberg News, the President of Ukraine will have a meeting with Jamie Dimon, the Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan Chase, this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The upcoming forum, beginning on Monday, will likely have the end of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza as a priority on the agendas of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French President Emmanuel Macron, and influential leaders from the Middle East.
The Swiss department of foreign affairs stated that the conflict in Ukraine is ongoing and there is currently no sign of peace, as they previewed the upcoming meetings in Davos.
The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters provided some content for this report.
Source: voanews.com
