Switzerland reports number of Peace Summit participants and flags disinformation attacks

On June 10, the Swiss government announced that 90 states and organizations had registered for Global Peace Summit, which will take place from June 15 to 16. Reuters reported this with reference to the Swiss government.

90 states to attend the Global Peace Summit

Global Peace Summit on Ukraine is due to be held at a resort near the central city of Lucerne next weekend. Roughly half of the participants are from South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the Swiss government said.

According to Switzerland’s statement, the summit aims to “jointly define a roadmap” for engaging Russia and Ukraine in the future peace process.

Russia itself will not attend the Peace Summit, calling it a waste of time. Switzerland claims that it was not invited to participate because Russia has made it clear that it is not interested in it. 

According to Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, the summit will discuss issues of broad international concern, such as the need for nuclear and food security, freedom of navigation, and issues such as prisoners of war.

Cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns targeted Switzerland ahead of summit

Ahead of a summit intended to forge a road for peace in Ukraine, Switzerland has seen a rise in disinformation and cyberattacks, the government announced on May 10.

At a news conference, Swiss President Viola Amherd said that cyberattacks had grown in recent weeks. She was questioned about how her government was handling personal attacks against her in Russian media that had been reported in Switzerland.

When questioned if Russia was behind the attacks, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis acknowledged there was a definite “interest” in disrupting the discussions but refrained from naming the perpetrators.

Peace Summit in Switzerland

On February 26, Switzerland announced its intention to hold a summit on peace in Ukraine by the summer.

Switzerland hosts this year the Peace Summit, which intends to find a solution for the Russia-Ukraine war, which started with a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Kremlin said that organizing such an event without Russia was “not serious and even ridiculous.”

In May, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on the leaders of countries, including China and the United States, to take part in the event.

On May 2, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said that Russia should take part in the Peace Summit, as “a peace process without Russia is unthinkable.” Russia, the aggressor in this war, was not invited to the event this year.

Switzerland stated that the Russian Federation should participate in the Peace Summit, as “a peace process without Russia is unthinkable,” but not this year.

China refused to participate in Peace Summit

Earlier, China’s Foreign Ministry said that the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland does not meet all the criteria that Beijing puts forward for such platforms, which is why it is “unlikely” to be represented there. Beijing emphasized that Beijing insists on Russia’s participation in the event.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky accused China of pressuring other countries not to participate in the upcoming Peace Summit in Switzerland, which aims to achieve a just peace and end the war in Ukraine.

Summit’s goals and Ukraine’s Peace Formula

According to the Swiss statement, the overarching objective of the summit is to inspire a future peace process. To achieve this, the summit intends to:

• Provide a platform for dialogue on ways towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine based on international law and the UN Charter;
• Promote a common understanding of a possible framework to reach this goal;
• Jointly define a roadmap on how to involve both parties in a future peace process.

“Peace Formula” was presented in November at the G20 summit in Bali by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He introduced a 10-point document to restore peace in Ukraine. The European Union Foreign Affairs Council endorsed Ukraine’s Formula for Peace and said it would promote it globally.