On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised the world with an offer of an immediate ceasefire in exchange for Ukraine withdraw his troops from the four regions partially and illegally annexed by Moscow in the east and south of the country, and renounced its plans to join NATO. “Only then will negotiations be possible,” said the president during a meeting with the military leadership that was broadcast live on television.
These conditions are unaffordable (and unacceptable) for kyiv. Among other things because iinclude for Ukraine to give up such important cities as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia (partially occupied during the large-scale war that began in 2022), in addition to the Donbas provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk. During his speech, Putin warned that the proposal has an expiration date and that it does not seek nor “a provisional truce” nor the “freezing of the conflict.” Now, the date chosen for the announcement is by no means the result of chance.
The Russian leader took the opportunity to launch his proposal just when the G7 leaders were meeting in Bari, southern Italy. A summit in which the world’s most advanced democracies agreed to give Ukraine a loan of 46,000 million euros financed with Russian assets frozen since the beginning of the invasion of the European Union. Furthermore, at the meeting, which lasted two days, several bilateral pacts to support Ukraine were sealed.
Furthermore, this Saturday a Peace Summit promoted by kyiv begins in the Swiss city of Lucerne in which More than 100 countries will be represented and international organizations. At the moment it has not been detailed how many heads of State and Government will attend.
The objective of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, at this summit is to gather support for the most ambitious demands of what is known as the “Ukrainian peace formula”, a ten point document which proposes, among other things, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, the release of all prisoners of war and the restoration of nuclear security in the region.
Zelensky with G7 leaders at the Italian summit.
“The peace summit will allow the global majority to take concrete steps in areas that are important to everyone in the world: nuclear and food security and the return of prisoners of war and all deported people, including deported Ukrainian children” Zelensky has noted on his social networks.
Absences from Latin America
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, Latin American countries have been divided by the alliances that several of them have maintained for years with the Russian Government. This division is reflected in the low presence of the region what will be at the event in Switzerland.
In fact, the presidents of Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic They will be the only Latin American leaders who will attend the Peace Summit. The foreign ministers of four other countries will join her, while Brazil and Bolivia have declined their participation in the meeting, due to the absence of Russia. “Without Russia there is no one to negotiate with,” explained the Brazilian president, L.uiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
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One of the big surprises is the participation of the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, which has so far avoided taking sides in favor of Ukraine and, unlike the war in Gaza, has refrained from referring to the conflict. In addition, Petro is expected to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart in an unprecedented meeting.
For his part, the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, will also travel to Switzerland. And since this Friday his country is part of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine (known as Ramstein group), led by the United States and made up of 54 other countries that coordinate military and humanitarian aid. Thus, Argentina has become the first State in Latin America to become part of this group.
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