With Russia not attending the Swiss summit on peace in Ukraine and calling it a “waste of time”, India decided to not sign the joint communique by saying that “only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace”.
Representing India at the two-day summit that concluded Sunday, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Pavan Kapoor said that India had joined the summit to explore the way forward to a negotiated settlement of a very “complex and pressing issue”.
According to the communique, signed by as many as 80 countries, the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine should be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia’s war.
However, underlining that “enduring peace can be achieved only through dialogue and diplomacy,” Kapoor said that such a peace requires “bringing together all stakeholders and a sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict.”
The Indian position of not becoming a signatory to the joint communique was explained by Kapoor in his statement as Moscow — one of the two warring parties —declined to attend the summit in Burgenstock in central Switzerland. The Russia-Ukraine war, which began on February 24, 2022, is in its third year now, with no end in sight.
Reflecting New Delhi’s diplomatic tightrope walk that has marked its diplomacy since the war began, in a prepared text at the summit, Kapoor said: “Our participation in the summit and continued engagement with all stakeholders is with a view to understanding different perspectives, approaches and options, to find a way forward for a sustainable resolution of the conflict. In our view, only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace. In line with this approach, we have decided to avoid association with the joint communique or any other document emerging from the summit.”
Kapoor, who looks after much of Europe and the Eurasian region in the MEA as part of his mandate, served as India’s ambassador to Russia from November 2021 till February 2024, and joined as Secretary (West) in the MEA this year. He was India’s envoy when the war began.
Besides India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and UAE were among countries participating at the summit on peace for Ukraine but did not sign a final communique, the Swiss government said on Sunday. Brazil, which was listed as an “observer” on the list of attendees, also did not feature as a signatory.
Switzerland, which hosted the summit, said over 90 countries took part in the talks, and the vast majority of them — 80 countries and 4 organizations — signed the communique.
The joint communique adopted at the end of the summit said: “…We reaffirm our commitment to refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognized borders, including territorial waters, and the resolution of disputes through peaceful means as principles of international law.”
The communique addressed three topics of discussion at the summit: nuclear safety, food security and humanitarian dimension.
It said, “Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine is inadmissible…food security must not be weaponized in any way. Ukrainian agricultural products should be securely and freely provided to interested third countries,…all prisoners of war must be released by complete exchange. All deported and unlawfully displaced Ukrainian children, and all other Ukrainian civilians who were unlawfully detained, must be returned to Ukraine.”
It also clearly indicated that Russia was required to participate in the process, as it said, “We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties. We, therefore, decided to undertake concrete steps in the future in the above-mentioned areas with further engagement of the representatives of all parties.”
“The United Nations Charter, including the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, can and will serve as a basis in achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” the joint communique said.
While Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the summit, India, which has strategic ties with Moscow and a strong dependence on Russia for defence supplies, decided to send a Secretary-level official for the summit. Ever since the war began, India has also been buying Russian oil at discounted prices to cushion the inflationary impact of rising oil prices.
A day before the Swiss conference, Modi had met Zelenskyy and had said that the way to peace is through dialogue and diplomacy” and that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution. The meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy came less than 10 days after their phone conversation on June 6.
Moscow’s response to the summit on peace in Ukraine had been critical from the beginning. In fact, earlier this week, the Kremlin said Tuesday that it was understandable that some countries were declining to take part in a Swiss-hosted peace summit on Ukraine this month because the gathering lacked clear goals and it was absurd to hold it without Russia.
“This is a completely absurd activity, this is an idle pastime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said quite bluntly. He had said it was obvious the meeting was not geared towards results, and “that’s why many countries don’t want to waste time.”
On the eve of the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Russia would end the war only if Kyiv agreed to drop its NATO ambitions and hand over four provinces claimed by Moscow – demands Kyiv swiftly rejected as tantamount to surrender. Putin’s conditions reflected Moscow’s growing confidence that its forces have the upper hand in the war.
Besides Russia, China had also decided to not attend the summit, organised by Switzerland. China’s absence, at the request of Moscow, had also cast a shadow on the conference.
Ever since February 24, 2022, when the Ukraine conflict began with the Russian invasion, India has sent humanitarian support to Kyiv.
New Delhi over the last two years has maintained a diplomatic balancing act between Russia and Ukraine. While India has not explicitly condemned the Russian invasion, it has called for an international probe into the Bucha massacre and expressed concern over nuclear threats issued by Russian leaders. At the UNSC, India has taken a nuanced position and abstained from voting against Russia in several resolutions.
