Lucerne: India, represented by Secretary (West) Pavan Kapoor, refrained from endorsing the joint communiqué issued at the conclusion of the Global Peace Summit on Ukraine, held in Switzerland. The summit, which took place over two days, saw India as one of 13 nations that chose not to sign the final communiqué.
Secretary Kapoor, who is also a former ambassador to Russia, articulated India’s stance at the summit: “In our view, only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to an abiding peace. In line with this approach, we have decided to avoid association with a joint communiqué or any other document emerging from the summit.” He further emphasized India’s position by stating, “India shares the global concern over the situation in Ukraine and supports any collective desire to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict…We continue to believe that such a peace requires bringing together all stakeholders and a sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict.”
The summit, which convened on June 15-16 and was orchestrated by Switzerland, welcomed 93 delegations, including its own. The conference was marked by the attendance of 57 heads of state or government, 29 ministerial delegations, and 6 envoys, predominantly from European nations and Western powers.
Prominent Western leaders such as US Vice President Kamala Harris, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz participated in the summit. Notably absent were countries like China—a significant global economy and ally of Russia—which opted out of attending. Russia itself was not extended an invitation.
Among members of both BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (Russia, Pakistan, China, India, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan), India was singular in sending a ministerial-level delegation. Other members like South Africa and UAE dispatched envoys, while Brazil attended as an observer.
On the eve of the summit, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin declared his terms for peace in the conflict—terms that included annexing Ukrainian territories and demanding that Kyiv abandon its NATO membership aspirations. These conditions were promptly rejected by Ukraine.
The summit aimed to rally global support for Ukraine’s stance in its conflict with Russia before engaging Moscow in future discussions. This initiative follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presentation of his 10-point peace plan at November 2022’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali.
As proceedings commenced on Saturday, Swiss President Viola Amherd highlighted three focal points: nuclear safety, food security, and human concerns—encompassing issues like prisoners of war and allegations of child abductions by Russia. The joint communiqué reflected a unified stance on these objectives.
Despite Hungary’s participation in the summit and its alignment with the final document—despite President Viktor Orbán’s perceived closeness to Putin—India joined other nations like Armenia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, UAE, Libya, Indonesia, Jordan, Bahrain, Colombia, South Africa, and Mexico in abstaining from endorsement.
During her attendance on Saturday, US Vice President Harris announced an additional $1.5 billion aid package for Ukraine. This package includes $824 million for vital energy infrastructure support; $379 million dedicated to humanitarian aid; and $300 million allocated for civilian security assistance.
