The upcoming gathering dubbed a Ukraine "peace summit" in Switzerland is being undercut on all sides.
Brazil and China announced a rival initiative on Friday, further demoting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s conference aimed at pushing through his unworkable “peace formula.”
The two countries support an international peace conference “held at a proper time that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties as well as fair discussion of all peace plans,” they said in a statement.
The joint document was signed by Celso Amorim, special adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and stated:
Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis.
Conditions should be created for resumption of direct dialogue, with de-escalation until a comprehensive ceasefire is in effect.
An international peace conference should be held with participation of both Russia and Ukraine.
Attacks on civilians and civilian facilities must be avoided.
Targeting nuclear power plants and other peaceful nuclear facilities must be opposed.
Use of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons, must be opposed.
All possible efforts must be made to prevent nuclear proliferation and avoid nuclear crisis.
The world should not be divided “into isolated political or economic groups,” the two countries stated.
The initiative from Brazil and China came after their presidents refused to attend the Ukraine “peace summit” set for June 15 to 16. The event in Lucerne is plagued by major no-shows. Joe Biden’s attention has been diverted to more pressing issues such as rubbing elbows with Hollywood celebs at his fundraiser.
Besides the leaders of Brazil and China, South Africa has also refused to attend the event. Moscow has dismissed the conference, to which it was not invited, as “meaningless.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the conference is clearly not result-oriented, as it is impossible to have effective talks on Ukraine without Russia's participation.
As far as the upcoming talks in Switzerland are concerned, Russia's President Vladimir Putin suggested that they constitute an effort by the Kiev regime's patrons to confer legitimacy on Zelensky now that his legal term as president has expired.
Putin emphasized at Friday's press conference that Russia remains ready to resume peace negotiations with Ukraine, including based on the draft agreements inked during talks in Belarus and Turkiye in the spring of 2022, but accounting for the current realities on the ground.
Regarding Zelensky's 10-point peace plan, it is nothing but an ultimatum to Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted on Wednesday as he chaired a meeting of BRICS sherpas and sous-sherpas in Moscow. He added that the US was imposing Zelensky's formula on everyone, inviting countries of the Global South to its platforms, such as the upcoming Lucerne meeting.
Russia's top diplomat also revealed that the Ukrainian president "hysterically" demanded that other nations back his proposed "peace formula" ahead of the gathering.