Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine on China-Brazil ‘peace initiative’: We didn’t sign any statements, acted as observers
Switzerland's position on the peaceful settlement of the war against Ukraine started by the Russian Federation has not changed; any "peace initiative" must fully respect international law and the UN Charter, said Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine Félix Baumann in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
“Thank you for the question, actually, because I'm really glad to be able to explain our position. So first of all, and I think there was a kind of a misunderstanding, actually. So first of all, Switzerland did not join or did not subscribe the final communique of this meeting that was held by China and Brazil last week in New York. We attended the meeting, but as observers, and third, yes, we did not change our position,” Baumann stressed.
According to him, the Swiss stance “remains absolutely clear: any solution – in response to the Russian full-scale military aggression against Ukraine must fully respect international law, the United Nations Charter, and in particular territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.”
At the same time, the diplomat added that, in Switzerland's opinion, all peace plans that respect the aforementioned fundamental principles should be considered. “This was even reflected in the final communique of the first summit on peace in – on Ukraine, which took place in Switzerland in June: this summit was built on the previous discussions that have taken place based on Ukraine's Peace Formula and other peace proposals which are in line with international law, including UN Charter,” Baumann sad.
“So it's a bit in line with this position that the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs decided to attend, again, as an observer last week in this meeting,” the ambassador explained.
Moreover, in his opinion, this decision was taken because Switzerland believes “it's important to talk about peace in a situation where we have a war that causes immense suffering and victims.”
“And that's exactly also what we did in June on Birkenstock in the end, when we gathered a broad range of countries precisely to discuss about the prospects for a peace process. But again, let me say, once again, our position has not changed. Nothing shall be decided without Ukraine,” the diplomat summed up.
On September 28, the media reported that the Swiss Foreign Ministry had expressed support for the peace plan of China and Brazil to end the war in Ukraine. In response, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula is “the only path to a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace.”