At the Peace Summit to be held at the Bürgenstock Resort on the 15th and 16th of June, the only ministerial-level delegation from the BRICS—assembled by Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE—is being sent by India. The Indian delegation is headed by the Secretary for the Western Region, Pavan Kapoor, who previously served as an ambassador to Russia.
The Peace Summit represents Ukraine’s diplomatic effort to rally international support behind its selected course of action in its ongoing conflict with Russia. The summit looks to expand upon Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s ten-point peace plan first unveiled in 2022 at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali. Notably, Russia has not been invited to partake in the summit.
The Summit has earned a substantial backing from countries within Europe and North America. However, the level of attendance from African and Asian nations remains comparatively low. Of the 93 delegations scheduled to attend—Switzerland included—44 are European.
The Summit has received staunch minimal support from BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), both of which Russia is an affiliated member. From BRICS membership, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran steer clear of the summit. Meanwhile, South Africa and the UAE have elected to send envoys, which is the lowest level delegation possible at the conference. Brazil, on the other hand, has sent an observer delegation.
China, the world’s second-largest economy, has stood by Moscow throughout the conflict. Last month, President Vladimir Putin visited China in his inaugural overseas trip since his fifth presidential term began. The ties between the two nations have significantly developed, with bilateral trade reaching an all-time high since the onset of the conflict in February 2022.
Switzerland has extended invitations to approximately 160 heads of government; however, not all United Nations members have been invited to the summit. Currently, the number of delegations from Asia attending the summit is modest with only 16 participating.
Similarly, the SCO, an Asian cooperative, with Russia, Pakistan, China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and India as members, finds solely India sending a delegate.
A day before the Peace Summit, Putin disclosed his four conditions for peace. These included the annexation of Ukrainian territory and Kyiv surrendering their aspirations of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. These stipulations, however, were instantly rejected by Ukraine.
As for the Summit participation from Asia and Africa, despite Zelenskyy’s appeal to Asian nations made during the Shangri-La dialogue earlier this month in Singapore, the response has been limited. Out of the ten nations in the ASEAN group, delegations were sent only from Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
It’s worth noting that ASEAN countries such as Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam are not represented at the summit. West Asian nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq are all sending Minister-level representation or higher, whereas Israel and the UAE will only have envoys present.
Approximately 13 African delegations are slated to attend the summit, including the Heads of State or Government from Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, and Somalia.
