The Swiss summit on Ukraine, which will begin on June 15, will not bring serious results. As the situation on the battlefield has shifted in Moscow's favor, Kyiv's demands and the very meeting it is promoting "seem somewhat unrealistic," writes The Responsible Statecraft reporter Connor Echols.
But if Zelenskyy achieved certain successes on the first point, then there were noticeable difficulties with the second. After the situation on the battlefield shifted in favor of Russia, the demands of Ukraine and the summit itself "seem somewhat unrealistic," the author of the article notes.
Perhaps the most significant obstacle is the lack of confidence in the summit. The once neutral Bern makes no secret of its desire to punish Moscow and supports Western sanctions. These decisions force the Kremlin to reject the prospect of Swiss mediation, undermining the chances of achieving any meaningful progress at the upcoming summit, Echols emphasizes.
According to him, another serious problem is the fact that Russia did not receive an invitation to the negotiations. Ukraine has said that Moscow's representatives may eventually join the talks, but only on Kyiv's terms.
Russia's absence is the main reason why China will miss the Swiss summit. Beijing sent its representatives to several of the five previous rounds of negotiations under Zelenskyi's plan, but now the Celestial Empire seems to be disappointed in Ukraine's approach, the journalist thinks.
In his opinion, all these indicators "paint a gloomy diplomatic picture." China and Switzerland are considered "hopelessly biased". Attempts by other potential mediators, including Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and the Vatican, did not gain much popularity.
"The summit in Switzerland will undoubtedly include serious negotiations on important aspects of the Ukrainian plan. But all the available evidence suggests that this will not bring us an inch closer to the end of the war," Echols emphasizes.
