Rebuff to Putin

Automatically saved draft

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj on his arrival in Switzerland

(Bild: AFP/Alessandro Della Valle)

The Swiss government wants to initiate a process leading to a peace summit with the participation of the Russians.

Putin's cross-shot from Moscow has met with a firm rejection from the Western participants at the Ukraine conference in Switzerland. In his "peace offer", the Kremlin leader calls for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from all border provinces, disarmament, renunciation of NATO membership and "denazification".

Ukraine President Zelenskij: "Completely absurd." US Secretary of Defense Austin from Washington: "Aggressors have no right to set peace conditions", NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg from Brussels: "It's not Ukraine, it's the Russians who have to withdraw. The proposal means that they want to annex even more territory".

Selenskyj on his arrival in Switzerland

(Bild: AFP/Alessandro Della Valle)

Swiss President Amherd, who has invited representatives from around 90 countries to the elegant Bürgenstock Hotel on Lake Lucerne: "We want to initiate a broad-based process with a view to lasting and sustainable peace in Ukraine and thus create the conditions for a future peace summit with the participation of Russia."

"Diplomatic little plant"
Ignazio Cassis, Foreign Minister of Switzerland, speaks of "zero hour" in the peace process. At Ukraine's request, Russia has not yet been invited. According to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the aim is to lay the foundations for a follow-up conference, in which Russia must also participate: "This is a diplomatic seedling that we are now watering so that it can grow."

The military and police cordoned off the conference venue.

(Bild: EPA/Urs Flüeler)

Austria's Federal Chancellor Nehammer, who also traveled to Switzerland, agrees: "This is an important start. That is why we have supported Switzerland from the outset." It is at least a sign of hope that representatives of the so-called BRICS states are also there - for example from Brazil, India and South Africa, countries that traditionally tend to side with Russia.

"Diplomacy is always about drilling hard holes," says Nehammer. The task now is to define the framework conditions. "That's why these negotiations are right and important," says the Federal Chancellor. "Peace must be our goal."

These are not negotiations, they are dictates. Negotiations require a serious willingness to negotiate, and this has not yet been evident.

Karl Nehammer zu Putins Angebot

Nehammer: Sharp rebuff to Putin
Nehammer issued a sharp rebuff to President Putin's "peace offer": "These are not negotiations, this is a dictate. Negotiations require a serious willingness, and this has not been evident so far." The Chancellor sees Putin's attitude as a repeated attempt to reverse the perpetrator-victim relationship: "And that is intolerable."

The venue and Austria's history
Meanwhile, the Austrian Foreign Ministry yesterday made a further ten million euros available for humanitarian aid for the Ukrainian population. According to Foreign Minister Schallenberg, this brings the total amount of state aid from Austria for Ukraine to more than 250 million euros.

Austria associates a significant moment in its history with the Berghotel Bürgenstock. Federal Chancellor Figl sent Foreign Minister Gruber to visit Indian Prime Minister Nehru, who was on a health cure there. He asked the Indian to intervene in Moscow in order to give new impetus to the stalled state treaty negotiations. And indeed, Nehru sent his foreign minister, the Kremlin trusted Nehru, and the state treaty was signed in 1955.

Chancellor Nehammer: "May the spirit of this place perhaps also be an impetus for peace in Ukraine."