Vladimir Putin, the blood-thirsty pacifist

Representatives from 92 countries - including several heads of state and government - and eight international organizations gathered on June 15 and 16 at Bürgenstock, Switzerland, for a summit on peace in Ukraine. This follows four preliminary meetings which began in 2023, aimed at achieving "a peaceful solution in accordance with international law and the UN Charter" to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Focusing on four themes - nuclear safety and security, freedom of navigation, food security and humanitarian concerns - the summit resulted in a joint communiqué signed by 78 participants that reaffirms the "sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine", the commitment of participants to "resolution of disputes through peaceful means as principles of international law" and to "undertake concrete steps in the future” to advance the themes of the conference.

Although he was not invited to the summit, Vladimir Putin exerted some influence by presenting a proposal the day before that would effectively entail the illegal annexation of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine, the country's disarmament and neutrality, and the lifting of Western sanctions. The Kremlin's "outstretched hand" was of course rejected.