The present Russia-Ukraine conflict has long historical roots and cold-war geopolitical interests—Ukraine’s inclination towards integration with NATO-led to strained relations with Russia. The Russian Federation considers Ukraine’s integration into the EU and NATO a direct threat to its geopolitical and national interests in the Eurasian region. Under President Putin’s leadership, Russia adopted an aggressive foreign policy towards Ukraine which resulted in the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Consequently, since 2022 Russia declared war on Ukraine to oppose its inclination towards NATO and in particular towards the US.
One of the recent events involved four employees of Russia’s Ministry of Défense being injured due to Ukraine shelling in the Donetsk region, while a Russian missile to the Southeastern part of Ukraine left seven civilians dead including three children and multiple casualties. Two years into war both nations find it hard to find common ground for peaceful negotiations and engagement. Ukraine has maintained its image internationally by centring the argument around sovereignty and territorial integrity, while Russia’s assertive policies have invited the wrath of organisations like the EU and NATO.
The 15th and 16th of June 2024 marked a new beginning for hope as sovereign states and international organisations came together in Switzerland to discuss and pave the way for peace towards the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Almost 100 countries participated in the communique, while a few states like India, Saudi Arabia and South Africa abstained from signing the document. India and Saudi Arabia, represented by their respective foreign ministers, voiced their unhappiness over the absence of Russia. On the other hand, South Africa voiced their denial of signing due to the presence of Israel in the peace communique as Israel currently has multiple human rights violation allegations in the ongoing conflict with Palestine. Similarly, three countries including Rwanda, Iraq and Jordan backed out of the Ukraine Peace Communique Treaty without further clarification. The Global South is still vigilant of Ukraine playing its victim card with the US’s support, after its continued stance in support of Israel.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the conference was the first step towards peace and the document was prepared in hopes of promoting ‘territorial integrity’. Finally, almost 80 countries signed the document, which focuses on three important themes including nuclear safety, food security and prisoner’s exchange. The three problems addressed in the communiqué were:
1. All applications of nuclear energy and infrastructure must be safe and considerate of the environment. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and other nuclear power facilities in Ukraine must run safely in compliance with IAEA guidelines. It is unethical to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
2. Food production and supply must continue uninterrupted to ensure global food security. In this context, access to the seaports of the Black and Azov Seas together with unrestricted, complete and secure merchant shipping is essential. It is intolerable to launch attacks on commerce ships at ports and along the route, as well as against civilian ports and their infrastructure.
3. In complete exchange, all prisoners of war must be released. All illegally held civilians from Ukraine including children must be returned together with all deported and displaced Ukrainians.
The peace communique granted Ukraine a $50 billion loan approved by the G7 and military support from NATO, which exposed the vested interests of the US towards Russia. However, Russia condemned the communique as it represents private interests and claimed it would be ready for negotiations if NATO withdrew its troops from the Russian-occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The failure of the summit has brought Ukraine to the realisation that actual peace can be gained only by furthering dialogue with Russia.
As peacekeeping efforts failed, the question of ending the war will remain unanswered. Nonetheless, the world must unite to stop this war through diplomatic conversations and negotiations to avoid such conflicts in the future. The peace communique is a right step forward in peacekeeping. There should be a joint peace declaration under international norms which defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and protect Russia’s interests. It should emphasise the value of a coordinated strategy for achieving peace and reflect a common outlook for a safe and stable future for both Ukraine and Russia.
