Context
• Switzerland will host a high-level international conference with more than 100 countries invited to help
chart a path toward peace in Ukraine after more than two years of war.
Background and Purpose of Conference
• Switzerland has taken the initiative at the request of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• The objective of the conference is to provide a platform for a high-level dialogue on ways to achieve a
comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine based on international law and the UN Charter.
• Switzerland had earlier hosted a Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) at Lugano in July 2022, and a
National Security Advisors Meeting in Davos in 2024.
Swiss history of mediation
– Neutrality is a foundational principle of Switzerland’s foreign policy. It looked after the interests of both the
Kingdom of Bavaria and the Grand Duchy of Baden during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.
– It acted as the protecting power during the two World Wars.
– Switzerland represented India’s interests in Pakistan and Pakistan’s in India between 1971 and 1976.
– It hosted talks between the government in Colombo and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2006.
– Over the last two decades, Switzerland has been the protecting power between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the US
and Iran, Russia and Georgia.
Russia’s stand
• Russia will not be a part of the first meeting. However, for the peace process Russia’s presence is necessary.
• It has said it is willing to enter talks about Ukraine, but these must respect Russia’s security interests and
reflect the “new realities” on the ground.
India’s role in peace process
• Switzerland wants India to participate in the conference, to which some 120 countries will be invited at the
level of Heads of State/ Government.
• From the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, India has been emphasizing on dialogue and diplomacy. It has
pitched itself as being supportive of any peace process.
• India abstained from voting against Russia in several resolutions at the UN Security Council.
• India believes that it has the credibility of being a non-partisan player in the world.
• Ukraine has sought India’s support on a 10-point “peace formula”, which calls for the withdrawal of Russian
troops from Ukraine, release of prisoners, restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and guarantees on
nuclear safety, food and energy security.
Way Ahead
• The conference will aim to create a concrete roadmap for the peace process. However the peace effort is
doomed to fail if it doesn’t take Russia’s interests into account.
• The conference is expected to be only the beginning of a process, and depending on the discussions and the
course of the war, Moscow may get involved at a later stage.
• For India, which aspires to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the conference presents
an opportunity to shape the conversation at the global high table.