ANALYSIS: Slimmed-Down Agenda of Swiss Peace Summit Aims to Secure Consensus

Ninety countries and organizations, out of 160 that were invited, have confirmed they will attend the two-day Ukraine peace summit being hosted by Switzerland at the Bürgenstock resort, near Lake Lucerneon June 15-16, the Swiss President Viola Amherd and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told reporters at a press briefing on Monday, June 10.

Amherd said half of the attendees were from Europe, with half of the participating states being represented by heads of state and half at the ministerial level. She said she is confident that more would respond positively to the invitation during the coming week. A full list will be published on Friday, June 14.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected to attend while the US will be represented by Vice President Kamala Harris and the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.

Cassis confirmed that Russia had not been invited as it had said on many occasions it would not attend, as the conference will be based on the peace proposals put forward by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He added that Ukraine insisted that only countries that respect Ukraine’s right to exist under international law should take part, which Russia obviously does not, but one of the key issues to be discussed at the weekend will be how and when Russia can be included in the peace process.

Cassis said the conference will begin with a plenary session on Saturday afternoon before working groups will form to discuss three main topics: nuclear security and safety, freedom of shipping and food safety and security, and humanitarian aspects including the release of all prisoners and the return of children deported to Russia.

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Switzerland said that a final declaration for the conclusion of the conference was being prepared, the draft of which was being “intensively consulted upon.”

Several commentators who have seen the draft final statement have interpreted the specific mention of only three elements of Zelensky’s ten-point peace plan as an attempt to slim down the agenda and to secure consensus. It is felt that some attendees, particularly from the Southern Hemisphere, are sympathetic toward Moscow and point out there is also no mention of the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine or the restoration of Ukraine's pre-2014 borders.

During Monday’s briefing, the extensive security measures that were being put in place were spelled out by Amherd. In addition to an extensive police presence, 4,000 members of the armed forces would be deployed. Measures would be taken to protect critical infrastructure, air transport, carry out aerial and waterborne surveillance, and provide logistic and command support.

“We have to confront a broad spectrum of risks – and we are preparing for them,” Amherd said.

She said Swiss authorities were taking additional measures to counteract a massive amount of disinformation and fake news being spread by opponents of the conference and that her government was providing correct, fact-based, and open information to counter the fake news.