BURGENSTOCK: President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped to find paths to a "just peace" as soon as possible, as a first international summit on pathways to end Russia's war in Ukraine opened Saturday.
More than 50 world leaders were joining Zelensky at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland for a two-day peace summit -- though with Moscow rejecting the event, it only has the modest ambitions of laying the groundwork for ending the conflict, now in its third year.
"I believe that we will witness history being made here at the summit. May a just peace be established as soon as possible," Zelensky said as the event began.
"Everything that will be agreed upon at the summit today will be part of the peacemaking process.
"We have succeeded in bringing back to the world the idea that joint efforts can stop war and establish a just peace."
The summit is aimed at trying to agree a basic international platform for eventual peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
The conference, convening 100 countries and global institutions, comes at a perilous moment for exhausted Ukrainians and outgunned soldiers, more than two years since Moscow launched its full-scale attack in February 2022.
The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan are attending, as is the European Union chief and the leaders of Colombia, Chile, Finland, Ghana, Kenya and Poland.
US President Joe Biden sent his Vice President Kamala Harris, who announced more than $1.5 billion in new aid for Ukraine, mainly for its energy sector and in humanitarian assistance.
The summit aims to find paths towards a lasting peace for Ukraine based on international law and the United Nations Charter; a possible framework to achieve this goal; and a roadmap as to how both parties could come together in a future peace process. On Sunday, three topics will be discussed in detail in working groups: nuclear safety, freedom of navigation and food security, and humanitarian aspects.
Ukraine hopes Russia will attend a second summit and receive a joint plan presented by the other attendees.
The Burgenstock gathering comes straight after the G7 summit, at which the seven wealthy democracies agreed to offer a new $50-billion loan for Ukraine, using profits from the interest on frozen Russian assets.
A landmark 10-year security deal signed by Zelensky and Biden on Thursday will see the United States provide Ukraine with military aid and training.
And on Friday, the European Union's 27 member states agreed "in principle" on beginning accession negotiations with Ukraine. — AFP
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