Volodymyr Zelensky's 'peace' summit in Switzerland was a waste of time and money, a former US army officer says.
The attendance by just 92 out of 160 countries invited, with some led by “low-level people,” shows just how little importance the world out on the event, said Earl Rasmussen, retired Lieutenant Colonel of the US Army and veteran international consultant.
“I think it shows a level of importance right there,” Rasmussen told Sputnik, noting that US President Joe Biden snubbed the summit altogether while his Vice-President Kamala Harris only spent a few hours there. “I think for the most part, it was a waste of time and dollars.”
Some of the global powers that did attend the summit refrained from signing the final joint communique that, as the pundit pointed out, was based on Volodymyr Zelensky’s “unrealistic” ten-point plan calling for Russia to surrender parts of its own territory.
“That plan itself is unrealistic. It's not part of reality. It's some parallel universe or illusion that he has on it,” Rasmussen said.
According to the retired officer, the countries of the Global South have mostly sought to remain neutral on the Ukrainian conflict, which the BRICS countries’ refusal either to attend the summit or to support the closing statement highlights.
“I think they had some issues with some of the statements made in communique as well,” Rasmussen said. ”And even that was a limited communique and they just don't have that support within the Global South for the direction that this peace summit is attempting to take.”
Rasmussen pointed out that the ongoing bloodshed in the Ukrainian conflict zone was a product of “Western geopolitical aspirations,” and that “every time there were potential breakthroughs and peace settlements, they were interfered with by Western powers.”
He mocked the use of the term “international rules” in the communique, noting how the text “mentions international law” but ignores the right self-determination, with Western powers refusing to acknowledge the decision of former Ukrainian regions to join Russia.
“What's the international rules? It's whatever the West decides. And the rules change on a given time. Do we see international rules applied in Gaza? Well, I guess there are different rules,” Rasmussen said.
“The whole thing was not a peace summit," he argued. "It was a rallying point in attempt to gather more support, to shift support against Russia, I think, and more towards Ukraine and perhaps to gather additional funds or commitments, funds and weapons as well for Ukraine.”
Rasmussen also suggested that Zelensky’s immediate call for another so-called peace summit were “another waste of time” unless his Western sponsors “come to reality.”
“You need to discuss true peace settlements and options, and discussion and to accept and discuss security guarantees for all parties involved," Rasmussen concluded. "And until that's done, that's a waste of time and money and I think just dilutes the whole intent and the tragedy of this whole situation.”