Switzerland supports China-Brazil peace initiative, Ukraine expresses disappointment

Switzerland backed the China-Brazil peace initiative on the war in Ukraine, which calls for a ceasefire and a political solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at the inaugural meeting of the “Friends of Peace”.

Ukraine expressed its disappointment with Switzerland’s decision, emphasising the importance of the principle of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” and support for the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula as the only way to a just and lasting peace.

Switzerland supported the peace proposal of China and Brazil

Switzerland expressed support for the peace proposal of China and Brazil. They believe that it calls for a ceasefire and a political solution to the conflict.

Nicolas Bidot, the spokesperson for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, made this statement in a commentary to Le Temps. The publication notes that only Switzerland, among China and Brazil, received an invitation to the founding meeting of the Friends of Peace. Hungary was also on the list.

Bidot said that the Sino-Brazilian initiative “offers an alternative to the bellicose speeches we heard this week at the UN from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides.”

At the same time, he emphasised the need to add a reference to the UN Charter to the initiative’s document.

The Swiss newspaper reported that China and Brazil invited only Switzerland, the only Western nation, to the inaugural meeting of the Friends of Peace on September 27. At the same time, it is known that Hungary also participated in the meeting.

Reaction from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that it could not understand the logic of Switzerland’s decision, since Switzerland organized the first Peace Summit and participates in thematic conferences on specific points of the Peace Formula, which aim to prepare a common peace framework for the restoration of a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace for Ukraine.

“We cannot understand the logic of this decision. We, in collaboration with the Swiss Confederation, hosted the First Global Peace Summit in Burgenstock on June 15-16, welcoming representatives from one hundred countries and international institutions. Our countries continue to actively cooperate to increase the number of signatories to the final communiqué of this summit,” the statement said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasised that all peace initiatives regarding the war in Ukraine should be based on two principles:

• “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”;
• “proposals should be based on the UN Charter and include respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

“We are confident that the Peace Summit’s proposed platform can facilitate the discussion of such peaceful ideas. We believe that the Peace Formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the only way to a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace,” the Foreign Ministry emphasised.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there is no need for additional formats and platforms to achieve peace in Ukraine, as the Peace Formula provides a full range of tools and platforms for discussing all ideas.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Switzerland and all countries that support international law and the UN Charter to avoid participating in so-called “peace initiatives” that can only complicate the process of achieving a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace for Ukraine.

“We call on the Swiss Confederation and all countries that support international law and the UN Charter to avoid participating in so-called ‘peace initiatives’ that can only complicate the process of achieving a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace for Ukraine. Ukraine cannot support initiatives that fail to acknowledge Russia’s unprovoked armed aggression against Ukraine, conflate the aggressor and the victim, and propose de-escalation at the expense of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territories.

Among European countries, Hungary has also expressed support for the Sino-Brazilian initiative.

Earlier, due to the lack of discussions with Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to the Sino-Brazilian proposal as “destructive.”

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell also criticised the China-Brazil “peace plan,” noting that its participants “think in terms of surrender when they talk about peace.”