A peace conference over Ukraine is unlikely to silence the guns
Serious negotiations are unlikely to begin before the year’s end at the earliest
IT WAS MEANT to be a big show, a historic conference on the 500th day of the war, and one that just might end it. But from the very start Volodymyr Zelensky’s Global Peace Summit has run into problems. Delayed five times, it was finally scheduled for June 15th and 16th, respectively days 843 and 844 of the conflict. Now, with flags ready to be hoisted in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, the worry is that the guest-list is not long or high-level enough. Russia was never meant to be there. But snubs from the Chinese and from President Joe Biden have been obvious blows, and have prompted public rebukes from Mr Zelensky. Vladimir Putin would be applauding Mr Biden’s absence, he snapped.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “So far it’s all gossip”
Europe June 15th 2024
- Why France’s president called a snap election
- Beyond France, the European elections will deliver more of the same
- A peace conference over Ukraine is unlikely to silence the guns
- The tiny statelet of Transnistria is squeezed on all sides
- Politics overshadows a conference to raise money for Ukraine
- No wonder Macron’s gambling: Europe is home to the high-roller
From the June 15th 2024 edition
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Russia’s bloody summer offensive is hurting Ukraine
Kremlin troops are making gains in the Donbas region
How much of a difference will Ukraine’s new F-16s make?
Too few to beat Russia’s air force, but a strong symbolic start
Some Germans think the hostage exchange with Russia was a dirty deal
But preserving good relations with America was more important
The deal that freed Evan Gershkovich was more than a prisoner swap
It freed Russian prisoners of conscience as well as Westerners taken hostage by Vladimir Putin
The Olympics are teaching the French to cheer again
France’s politics is a mess, but the games are glorious
Humiliated by Azerbaijan, Armenia tacks towards the West
Courting the EU and America without alienating Russia is a difficult trick