Western countries seek consensus at Ukraine summit slammed by Putin

Western powers and other nations sought a consensus on condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine on the second day of a summit in Switzerland, which Russian President Vladimir Putin described as yet another ploy to "mislead the discussion" on the conflict.

A draft of the final summit declaration refers to Russia's action as a "war" - a label Moscow rejects - and calls for Ukraine's control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov Sea ports to be restored.

The draft, dated June 13, also called for Ukraine's territorial integrity to be respected.

But - in line with the conference's more modest stated aims - it omitted more contested issues of what a post-war settlement for Ukraine might look like, whether Ukraine could join the NATO alliance or how troop withdrawals from both sides might be managed.

Prior to the meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that holding the event was a "road to nowhere," TASS reported, while Putin said the meeting was designed to give the Kiev authorities the appearance of legitimacy.

READ MORE

Exclusive: Zhang Zhilei joy at winning 'life and death battle'

Trainspotting reaches a new online generation of enthusiasts

Austria to predict wildfires by tracking runners

Moscow casts what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine as part of a broader struggle with the West, which it says wants to bring Russia to its knees, while Kyiv and the West say Russia is waging an illegal war of conquest.

World leaders including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron gathered at the mountaintop resort of Buergenstock in a bid to bolster international support for ending the war.

Many Western leaders voiced forceful condemnation of Moscow's actions and rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's demands for parts of Ukraine as a condition for peace.

"One thing is clear in this conflict: there is an aggressor, which is Putin, and there is a victim, which is the Ukrainian people," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

Putin said earlier this week that Russia did not start the war as part of a special military operation, but that it was Kiev that started and continues the hostilities. 

Meanwhile, Sergey Tsekov, a top Russian lawmaker, said the conference in Switzerland had nothing to do with achieving peace in Ukraine, but was simply a trial of Russia.

"This is not a conference to achieve peace in Ukraine. This conference is a trial of Russia, they convened it for this purpose. It is clear that [the participants] are using this conference only to maintain their hegemony and influence in the world," Tsekov told TASS news agency.

"They understand that they are losing it. This worries them much more than Ukraine itself. Moreover, they do not care at all about the lives of Ukrainian citizens," he added.

More than 90 countries took part, but scores of other nations sat out the conference, including China. The foreign ministry said that it thought any such international peace conference should involve both Russia and Ukraine, although Beijing supports efforts to bring the conflict to an end and is monitoring the developments in Switzerland.

Some leaders departed early, and talks on Sunday will turn towards pursuing a joint position on the need for nuclear and food security, and the return of prisoners of war and children removed from Ukraine during the conflict.

Push for follow-up conference

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the summit at the resort overlooking Lake Lucerne as a show of international support for Kyiv, even as some European allies said a broader outreach was needed for a lasting peace plan.

One central ambition of the Swiss and Ukrainian organizers is to announce on Sunday the host country for a follow-up conference meant to build on the Swiss momentum, although the draft communique made no mention of this.

Saudi Arabia is one of the favorites, and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the kingdom was ready to assist the peace process, but warned that a viable settlement would hinge on "difficult compromise."

Striking a balance in the summit's final declaration between forthright condemnation of Russia's actions in Ukraine and wording that commands the broadest possible support has been part of the diplomatic tug-of-war at the event, sources say.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and now deputy chairman of the country's Security Council, dismissed the summit as a waste of time.

"None of the participants in the 'peace forum' knows what he is doing there and what his role is," he said. 

Switzerland also faced some internal criticism. Nils Fiechter, a member of the right-wing Swiss Peoples' Party (SVP), the biggest group in the Swiss lower house of parliament, appeared on broadcaster Russia Today to call the summit a "farce".

He warned that the summit undermined Swiss neutrality and said Russia had to have a seat at the table.

It remains to be seen how many countries will back a final joint declaration, and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Saturday sought to temper hopes somewhat.

"Just to manage expectations, please: The crucial take-away is that we've all come here, that we're talking, that many different nations and continents are talking to each other ... This is the essence of this conference," he said.

"Peace and peace processes take time, working millimeter by millimeter."

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday