Ukraine summit seeks start to peace talks with Russia

Singapore calls for negotiations based on international law and UN Charter

Dozens of countries meeting for a landmark international summit on peace in Ukraine agreed on June 16 that Kyiv should enter into a dialogue with Moscow on ending the war, while strongly supporting Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity.

More than two years after Russia invaded the country, leaders and top officials from more than 90 states spent the weekend at a Swiss mountainside resort for a two-day summit dedicated to resolving the largest European conflict since World War II.

“We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties,” stated a final communique, supported by the vast majority of the countries that attended the summit at the Burgenstock complex overlooking Lake Lucerne.

The document reaffirmed a commitment to the “territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine”. It also urged a full exchange of prisoners of war and the return of deported children.

Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, who attended the summit, said in a Facebook post that “participants were united in seeking a peaceful and lasting solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict that is consistent with the UN Charter and international law”.

She said Singapore is calling on Russia “to cease hostilities and to negotiate with Ukraine in good faith based on international law and the UN Charter”.

Ms Sim said: “This is not about taking sides; it is about upholding fundamental principles. To us in Singapore, the conflict may be far away. But as a country, we remain deeply concerned. As a small state with only a short history of independence, we must staunchly support international law and uphold the UN Charter.