Ukraine summit: World leaders slam Putin’s peace terms as Kyiv seeks broad consensus to end war

World leaders gathered for the two-day Ukraine peace summit at a Swiss Alpine resort over the weekend slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin and the terms he recently set out to stop the war. Kyiv has sought to use the second day of the major summit to pursue a broad consensus on condemning the Russian invasion and underscoring concerns about the human cost of the ongoing war.

World leaders slam Putin

Leaders and representatives from more than 90 countries gathered at the Burgenstock resort in a show of support for Kyiv, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought to rally support for an international agreement around a proposal to end the war that he could present to Russia.

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Ahead of the summit on Friday (Jun 14), Putin slammed the West and accused it of undermining global strategic stability.

He also said that Russia would be ready for ceasefire talks “tomorrow” if Ukrainian troops withdrew from the four regions claimed by Moscow, and Kyiv gave up its plans to join NATO.

“So far, the West has been ignoring our interests. While they forbid Kyiv to negotiate, they hypocritically call on us to start some sort of negotiations. It just looks idiotic,” said the Russian president.

The proposal was swiftly rejected by Kyiv and its allies.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the Russian president’s plan “propaganda” that effectively suggested that Ukraine “must withdraw from Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it “dictatorial peace.”

The United States,represented by Vice President Kamala Harris – a decision that had riled Kyiv – said that Putin is essentially calling for surrender.

She added, “Let nothing about the end of this war be decided without Ukraine.”

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, on Saturday, said Putin “made a mistake” by not attending the summit considering half of the United Nations was present.

“And the fact that Putin yesterday came out with this silly peace proposal shows you that he is clearly panicking. So that’s good news,” Rutte told reporters.

Kyiv seeks broad consensus

Most countries gathered have voiced strong support for Ukraine and demanded peace, while others have criticised Russia’s exclusion from the summit and warned Kyiv that it might need to compromise if it wanted to end the war.

The summit, which did not see participation from China and was called a waste of time by Russia, comes as Ukrainian forces have faced a series of setbacks on the frontline and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has diverted the world’s attention from Kyiv.

A draft of the final summit declaration seen by Reuters refers to the Russian invasion as “war,” a label that Moscow has rejected, and calls for Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov Sea ports to be restored.

The talks on Sunday (Jun 16), will be focused on pursuing a joint position on the need for nuclear and food security, and the return of prisoners of war and children removed from Ukraine amid the war.

The draft communique, dated June 13, calls for all illegally deported children sent to Russia and Russian-occupied territory to be returned. It remains to be seen how many countries will back a final joint declaration.

(With inputs from agencies)