By Dearbail Jordan, Journalist, BBC News • Sarah Rainford, Eastern Europe Correspondent
EPAItalian and German leaders strongly rejected ceasefire terms proposed by Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, as many countries gathered at a two-day summit in Switzerland to discuss the end of the conflict.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the Russian president’s plan “propaganda,” in effect suggesting that Ukraine “must withdraw from Ukraine.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it a “dictatorial peace.”
A draft declaration released at the summit reaffirms Ukraine’s territorial integrity and unambiguously rejects any nuclear threat against the country.
On Friday, Mr. Putin said he would agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine withdrew its troops from four regions that Russia partially occupies and claims to have annexed.
Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, told the BBC at the Swiss summit that there would be “no compromise on independence, sovereignty or territorial integrity.”
Mr Putin unveiled his terms ahead of the two-day Ukraine peace summit, which aims to discuss basic principles for ending the war.
More than 90 countries and global institutions are participating in the event. This is the largest rally held in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion.
But Russia was not invited and China – a key Russian ally – is not participating, so expectations of significant progress at this stage are low.
Commenting on Mr Putin’s proposal, Ms Meloni said: “It does not seem to me to be a particularly effective negotiating proposition to tell Ukraine that it must withdraw from Ukraine.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused the Russian president of “telling a misleading story about his willingness to negotiate.”
He added that countries that help Russia with arms supplies “are on the wrong side of history.”
Ukraine is already presenting the gathering held in the isolated Bürgenstock location as a success, highlighting its global reach and the number of countries represented.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine wanted to “give diplomacy a chance” and show that “common efforts” could end wars.
“I believe we will witness a historic event here at this summit. May a just peace be established as soon as possible,” he said.
His aide, Mr Yermak – an influential figure in Ukrainian politics – brushed off China’s absence and suggested that when a joint plan for peace talks was ready, it could be presented to Russia.
“We believe this can happen at the second leaders-level summit,” he said.
Mr. Putin has already ruled out any peace process on Ukrainian terms. The four Ukrainian regions from which he seeks withdrawal are only partially occupied by Russia, which claims to have annexed them in 2022. The voting process organized then was denounced in Ukraine and the West as a sham.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said “freezing the conflict today with foreign troops occupying Ukrainian territory is not an answer.”
“In fact, this is a recipe for future wars of aggression,” she said.
The ceasefire conditions proposed by Mr Putin have been described as “offensive to common sense” by Ukraine.
Participating countries are expected to formally adopt the draft declaration reaffirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity on Sunday.
The leaders also say the safe transit of commercial vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov is vital for global food security. The draft text also calls for an exchange of prisoners of war.
EPAThe Swiss summit comes after G7 leaders agreed to use interests in frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine defend against invading Russian forces.
Around $325 billion (£256 billion) in assets were frozen by G7 countries and the EU after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The interest generated by these assets amount to approximately $3 billion per year.
Under the G7 plan, these $3 billion will be used to repay the annual interest on a $50 billion loan granted to Ukraine on international markets.
The money is not expected to arrive until the end of the year but is seen as a longer-term solution to supporting Ukraine’s war effort and economy.
In the immediate future, Ukraine says it urgently needs more weapons – mainly air defense systems to combat Russian missile and drone attacks, as well as F-16 fighter jets, which it hopes that they will start arriving this summer.
