“We have a Ukrainian peace plan in front of us, and Russia has recently shared some terms. Each side sees the other party’s steps as the extension of the war effort,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.
He also cited the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a diplomatic success, as it included Russia and Ukraine, and provided predictability to both countries. “There’s much to be learned from this example,” Fidan said.
Although Moscow complained that the grain deal was unfair and eventually withdrew from it in the summer of 2023, Ukraine later reestablished the Black Sea export route on its own, methodically destroying the Russian fleet that used to block Ukrainian ports.
Kyiv hopes Saudi Arabia will host the next peace summit for Ukraine, as it is well-placed to help involve Biejing and has good relations with Russia. The date and conditions of that conference are not fixed yet.
Zelenskyy made a last-minute unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia ahead of the Switzerland summit and persuaded the Saudis, who were not planning to come to Bürgenstock, to change their minds, Zhovkva said.
“We hope this summit provides us the basis of a political track of resolving the conflict. We demonstrated our readiness to mitigate it the closer to a solution,” Prince Faisal bin Al Saud, the Saudi foreign minister, said during the meeting on Saturday. “But the path to peace will require some difficult compromises as part of a road map,” he said.
“Any credible process will need Russia’s participation,” he emphasized.
The final declaration of the summit will be announced later Sunday.
Abhinav Thawait is a globe-trotting correspondent with a passion for international affairs. With a background in international relations, he offers a global perspective on the most pressing issues around the world. Abhinav’s curiosity takes his to the far corners of the earth, where he seeks to share untold stories and diverse viewpoints.
