India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa Withhold Support for Ukraine Peace Statement

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the closing press conference of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 16, 2024. (Sedat Suna/Getty Images)

Dozens of countries said on June 16 that respect for “territorial integrity and sovereignty” is the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, some key regional powers declined to sign a communique issued after the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland.

More than 90 countries—including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan—participated in the two-day summit. Russia wasn’t invited, and China declined to attend.

The peace summit ended on June 16 with the issuance of a joint communique signed by nearly 80 countries, focusing on nuclear safety, food security, and the release of prisoners of war.

The signatories reaffirmed their commitment to “the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognized borders.”

“We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties,” the joint communique reads.

India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates were among the participants who didn’t sign the communique, according to the list of signatories. Brazil joined as an observer but didn’t sign the statement.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said it joined the summit “to explore the way forward to a negotiated settlement of a very complex and pressing issue” but chose not to endorse the joint communique.

“In our view, only those options acceptable to both the parties can lead to abiding peace,” the ministry said in a statement. "In line with this approach, we have decided to avoid association with the Joint Communiqué or any other document emerging from this Summit.”

Sydney Mufamadi, South Africa’s national security adviser, said the joint communique narrows the prohibition on the use of nuclear weapons “to the Ukraine context only.”

“This is a position that South Africa has steadfastly opposed in other fora dealing with this matter—the prohibition applies globally, and South Africa will continue to be a leading proponent of total prohibition on the threat or use of nuclear weapons in any context,” he stated.

“We encourage Ukraine and Russia to take to heart the advice that focuses on resolution rather than escalation, on peaceful solutions rather than furtherance of war.”

Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena Ibarra has insisted on involving Russia in negotiations.

Ukraine Urges China to Back Territorial Integrity

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has underscored the need for all summit participants, including China, to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity, saying “there will be no lasting peace without it.”

“We want China to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our state just as we respect theirs. We value their life and people’s choices and hope China will do the same,” he stated on social media platform X.

Mr. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine was already in talks with other countries to host a second peace summit.

“We already have countries interested in hosting the Second Peace Summit and have started talks with them. I am confident that the choice will have global significance,” he said.

Previously, Mr. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine made numerous attempts to meet with Chinese officials, including Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping, but they had been unsuccessful. He accused Russia of using China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region to disrupt the Swiss-led peace summit.

The CCP said it decided not to attend the peace summit because it failed to meet China’s expectations, particularly regarding Russia’s involvement in the summit.

During a June 13 joint news conference with President Joe Biden at the G7 summit in Italy, Mr. Zelenskyy said the CCP leader had vowed, during a phone conversation, that China wouldn’t sell weapons to Russia.

“He said that he will not sell any weapon to Russia,” the Ukrainian leader said. “We’ll see ... If he is [a] respectable person he will not, because he gave me [his] word.”

Mr. Zelenskyy didn’t specify when the phone conversation with the leader of the Chinese communist regime took place.

After Mr. Zelenskyy finished speaking, U.S. President Joe Biden added, “By the way, China is not supplying weapons, but it is providing the ability to produce those weapons and the technology available to do it. So, it is, in fact, helping Russia.”