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Ukraine conference in Switzerland concludes with an underwhelming outcome

The Ukraine conference of 15 and 16 June 2024, in the Bürgenstock luxury resort high above Lake Lucerne, is considered the largest diplomatic event ever hosted in Switzerland. At Switzerland’s invitation, delegations from over 90 countries, including the heads of state of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Spain and the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, convened at the location. In the run-up to the conference, President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis sought, in their role of conference hosts, to manage expectations, changing the name of the event from “Peace Summit” to “Summit on Peace in Ukraine”. The closing declaration at least adopted a clear position by referring to “Russia’s war against Ukraine”, thus expressly naming Russia as the aggressor. The final document also demanded the observance of Ukraine’s sovereignty and the securing of the war-damaged Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It further stated that attacks on Ukrainian wheat exports are not acceptable, as food security “must not be weaponised in any way”. President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd concluded: “We have achieved what could be achieved.” In the immediate aftermath, political commentators claimed Switzerland suffered something of a setback as a host and diplomatic actor, as not all delegations were prepared to sign the final document. Twelve of the participating countries withheld their signature. Notable non-signatories included India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Some of these countries may be able to assume the role of intermediary, given their intact ties to Russia. In fact, there was speculation just before the meeting that Saudi Arabia might host a follow-up conference – and include Russia. The closing declarations and the official final Bürgenstock document, however, did not include any reference to this. (MUL)

The final document from the Bürgenstock conference: www.revue.link/summit