Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to Switzerland today for a peace summit, while Ukraine’s president seeks to bolster his country’s defenses by securing more international support.
The Ukraine Peace Summit comes at a highly dangerous time for Ukrainian troops on the battlefield, with a Russian military advance spurring fierce fighting northeast of Kharkiv and Russian drone and missile attacks causing severe damage to the country’s power grid.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada, Yulia Kovaliv, said more than 100 countries and organizations had expressed interest in attending the conference, which she said showed “how many countries really understand what’s at stake.”
“This is not just a European issue,” Kovaliv told CBC. Power and politics on friday. “This is not just a European Union or continental issue. The impact has been felt very strongly in all other parts of the world.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is hosting a peace conference near Lake Lucerne shortly after the G7 summit in Italy, with many world leaders also gathering in the area.
At least 90 countries are heading to Switzerland this weekend for the Ukraine Peace Summit, where world leaders will discuss ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia was not invited, but President Vladimir Putin still presented terms for peace that Ukraine claims are unacceptable. Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada, Yulia Kovaliv, appears on Power & Politics to discuss what Ukraine should ask of its allies at the summit.
Zelensky is using the conference to seek further diplomatic support for a 10-point peace plan he plans to unveil in 2022. Among other things, Zelensky’s plan calls for Russia to withdraw from all of Ukraine.
Russia was not invited to the summit and has denied it was worthless. China, which has close ties with Russia, was also absent from the meeting.
On the eve of the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would call a ceasefire and enter peace talks if Ukraine abandoned its ambitions to join NATO and withdrew its troops from four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry rejected the proposal, saying it was “absurd for Putin to present himself as an emissary of peace when, together with his accomplices, he planned, prepared and carried out the largest armed aggression in Europe since World War II.”
Dave Perry, president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, said that at the moment there is “momentum” on Russia’s side so it’s “not a good time” for Ukraine to come to the negotiating table.
As Kiev marks the second anniversary of the Russian invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the fighting. He also called for more help from allies and hinted at plans for an attack.
“If one of the parties to the conflict is not going to attend the peace summit, there is only so much to discuss,” Perry said.
“One of the most productive things that could come out of this is to broaden the circle of international support for what is happening in Ukraine.”
“A defining moment for Ukraine”
A Canadian government official told CBC News that Trudeau plans to speak at the peace talks about the human cost of Russia’s aggression.
Canada is co-leader of a coalition of countries seeking to reunite abducted Ukrainian children with their families and return “prisoners of war.” [and] A press release issued by Trudeau’s office ahead of the visit said the visit “unlawfully detained civilians.”
Roland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, said the meeting and a NATO summit planned for July offer Ukraine a high-profile platform to pressure its ally to make new contributions to its defense.
Ukraine has appealed for more help from its allies after a deadly Russian missile attack on the northern city of Chernihiv, with one government adviser saying the situation is worsening and the country feels abandoned.
“So there’s pressure on participants in these meetings to put more issues on the agenda,” said Paris, director of the University of Ottawa’s School of Public and International Affairs.
“This is a critical moment for Ukraine. Ukraine is on the brink of defeat. Ukraine needs help now.”
At their summit in Italy, G7 leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with US$50 billion, with interest on frozen Russian assets used as guarantees for loans to aid Ukraine.
Canada has guaranteed $5 billion as part of a larger package, and countries funding the loan agreements expect the money to be returned. Zelenskiy told Trudeau the money will support both war efforts and reconstruction.
The G7 leaders’ statement, released by the United States on Friday, said they were “united in supporting Ukraine in its struggle for freedom and restoration for as long as necessary.”
