As Switzerland prepares for a June peace conference on Ukraine, russia’s two BRICS neighbors have proposed an alternative meeting. Brazil and China believe that it is necessary to discuss a peaceful settlement with the participation of both sides of the armed “conflict.”

They issued a joint statement in which they expressed “common views” on how to resolve the conflict, which began as a result of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The statement was made after a meeting in Beijing between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Celso Amorim, the chief adviser of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bloomberg notes.

“China and Brazil support the holding of an international peace conference at the appropriate time, which will be recognized by both russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties, as well as an honest discussion of all peace plans,” the statement said.

The international peace conference will be held on June 15-16; the Swiss authorities agreed to organize it at the request of Kyiv and invited about 160 countries.

“The purpose of the meeting at the level of heads of state and government is to develop a common understanding of a possible path to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. This should become the basis for the peace process,” the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.

The agency explained the absence of an invitation for russia “at this stage” by the fact that the russian federation has repeatedly publicly declared its lack of interest in participation. The summit is intended to initiate a peace process, and “Switzerland is convinced that russia should participate in it,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

During the previous four international meetings held at the level of national security advisers, the basis of the discussion was the peace formula proposed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In particular, it provides for the unconditional withdrawal of russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is ready to discuss a truce only taking into account “current realities,” thereby showing that it has no intention of giving up the occupied territories.

China also proposed a peace plan last year, but it does not say anything about the liberation of captured regions of Ukraine. During a recent visit to Beijing, Vladimir Putin, according to his press secretary Dmytro Peskov, discussed “international affairs and Ukraine” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Moscow’s approval of the “objective and impartial position” of the Chinese leadership was noted in the declaration following the meeting.

“The parties emphasize the need to stop any steps that contribute to the prolongation of hostilities and the further escalation of the conflict… they emphasize the importance of dialogue as the optimal form of resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” it said.

It was during Putin’s visit to China that Brazil and South Africa refused to participate in the Swiss conference. The current statement by China and Brazil basically echoes the position of Beijing and Moscow. Without russia’s participation, “discussing security issues that concern us is absolutely pointless,” Peskov said earlier.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, India is the only one of the BRICS countries to announce that its delegation will come to Switzerland.

© 2024 Ukrainian News Agency