Ukraine peace summit opens in Switzerland without Russia

The Summit on Peace in Ukraine opened at Burgenstock, Switzerland, on 15 June 2024 with delegations from more than ninety states and international organizations. Ukraine promoted the meeting as a step toward support for principles that could underpin a future peace process.

Russia was not invited to the first summit and rejected the format. China did not attend, while countries from the Global South participated at varying levels. Absence of a belligerent meant the meeting could not itself negotiate a ceasefire or binding settlement.

Discussions focused on nuclear safety, global food security, prisoners of war and the return of deported children. The final communique affirmed the UN Charter and territorial integrity and was endorsed by many, but not all, attending delegations. Attendance and endorsement are different counts.

Ukraine's peace formula and proposals by other governments remained points of debate. A meeting designed around common principles does not establish that participants agreed on the route, sequencing or security guarantees required to end the war.

Swiss and summit records establish participation and agenda. This item marks the opening of a diplomatic forum, not a completed peace negotiation. It retains Russia's absence as a central limitation without accepting the claim that no useful humanitarian or legal coordination could occur among the states present.

Three subjects were selected partly because they could support practical agreement even among governments divided on war aims. Narrowing the agenda made a common statement possible, but it also left territorial settlement and security architecture outside the first summit's direct work.