India to participate in Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland; representative not yet decided: MEA

India on Wednesday confirmed its participation in the upcoming global Peace Summit in Switzerland, aimed at paving a path towards peace in Ukraine which is scheduled to be held on June 15-16.

Addressing a special briefing, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that the decision regarding the representative from India who will be participating in the Peace Summit will be informed once decided.

“India will be participating at the Peace Summit which is to be held in Switzerland, at an appropriate level. That consideration is currently going on in the system. As and when we have a decision on the representative from India who will be participating, we will be very happy to share it with you,” Vinay Kwatra said on Wednesday.

Ukraine is looking to strengthen international support for its peace plan at the upcoming global peace summit on June 15-16 in Switzerland, according to Kyiv Independent.

Last week, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy extended a warm invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Ukraine at “a convenient time”.

The invitation came during a phone conversation between the two leaders, where Zelenskyy congratulated PM Modi on his recent election victory and wished for the swift formation of the government.

On April 11, Swiss President and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis announced that Switzerland will host a high-level international conference in June with more than 100 countries invited to help chart a path towards peace in Ukraine after more than two years of war.

The summit is part of Ukraine’s ongoing effort to secure diplomatic support for its 10-point peace plan announced in November 2022, which includes the full withdrawal of Russian troops and accountability for war crimes committed by Russia.

The aim of the heads of state and government meetings is to develop a common understanding of a path towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

Ukraine expects attendees at the summit to develop an action plan on three key aspects of its 10-point peace plan. The first point, free navigation, involves protecting port infrastructure in the Black Sea and global food security. The second focus is energy and nuclear security, which includes an end to strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. And the third focus will be the exchange of captives and the return of children illegally abducted to Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia ruled out its participation in the ‘Ukraine Peace Summit.’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey said that they will not participate in any event supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “peace formula”.

While speaking in an interview with a local Russian news outlet, Sergey Lavrov said, “When our Swiss colleagues say they want to invite Russia to the first conference, they are not telling the truth. We will not participate in any events that promote Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace formula in one way or another.”

The summit is the highest-level event yet in Ukraine’s “peace formula” initiative. It follows four lower-level conferences held since June 2023.