Why second Ukraine Peace Summit won't be held

In an interview with the Telegraf, Zarivna, an advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, confirmed this.

The first summit, I recall, ended with a discussion of only three of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's ten points of peace. More than a hundred delegations were invited to participate. Not all of them signed the final communiqué. And a week ago, Switzerland-which, let me remind you, was the organizer of the summit-said that they wanted to join the plan of China and Brazil. A knife in the back? Not exactly.

The idea of peace summits, including initiatives like the Crimean Platform summits, appeared more as a grand PR project aimed at pressuring Ukraine's partners—and their partners—to take actions that, in a domino effect, could influence states either neutral or evasive about the "Ukrainian conflict." However, it's important to recognize that in today's fast-paced world, where most countries are preoccupied with their own pressing issues, Ukraine is unfortunately not at the top of the global priority list for many nations.

For India, China, and Brazil, the war in Ukraine is a regional conflict, nothing more. Therefore, no matter how much we call summits "global" and forums "strategic," this mechanism will not work in 2024. Neither does the UN organization, which was created to provide a mechanism for preventing wars.

So why do something that doesn't work? As one Bankova employee recently told me: "We are like samurai. We have a path, and we follow it.”

It’s positive that, alongside the peace summits, Bankova Street is taking a more practical approach. For instance, Ukraine is preparing in advance for the upcoming Ramstein meeting, which will for the first time feature such high-level representation. This approach is far more realistic and, importantly, practical, offering a concrete path toward understanding the future deployment of military forces and Ukraine’s capabilities in 2025.

Moreover, it’s encouraging that Ukrainian officials are traveling to the United States, and that the Minister of Defense is going on a business trip. While the meeting at Ramstein might not attract headlines, it will focus on very specific political and military content—far more tangible than the diplomatic rhetoric often surrounding peace talks.

Source

About the author. Victor Shlinchak, Chairman of the Board of the Institute of World Policy.

The editors don't always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.