According to Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine Felix Baumann, Switzerland did not sign any communique after the presentation of the China-Brazil peace plan at the U.N. General Assembly in September. Instead, they participated as an observer. This was reported in an interview with Interfax Ukraine on Oct. 4.
Brazil‘s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promoted his peace plan, which was jointly developed with China, in New York. However, Ukraine had already dismissed the proposal as “destructive.” Swiss media outlet Blick reported on Sept. 28 that Switzerland expressed support for China and Brazil’s peace initiatives. In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated that President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s peace formula is “the only path to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.”
Baumann clarified that Switzerland’s position remains unchanged, and that any response to Russia‘s aggression against Ukraine must respect international law, the U.N. Charter, and Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. He also stated that Switzerland believes all peace plans that adhere to these principles should be considered.
The ambassador explained that Switzerland participated as an observer in the meeting initiated by China and Brazil because it was in line with their position. He also mentioned the first Ukraine peace summit held in Switzerland in June, which was based on previous discussions and included the Ukrainian peace formula and other proposals that align with international law and the U.N. Charter.
In May, Brazil and China proposed a six-point peace plan that called for both Russia and Ukraine to avoid escalation of hostilities and provocations. This was presented as a parallel plan to Ukraine’s peace efforts, which were based on Zelensky’s 10-point peace formula and included a global peace summit in Switzerland in June. However, China did not attend the summit and the Brazilian representative present did not sign the resulting communique.
Moscow has previously stated that it would accept Brazil and China as intermediaries for possible peace talks. However, the two countries have refused to publicly take sides in the war. China has been a key economic partner for Russia and a source of dual-use goods.
There have been no direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia since early 2022. Moscow has set conditions for talks, including Ukraine giving up on occupied territory and ceding additional ground. In contrast, Ukraine’s 10-point peace formula includes a complete Russian withdrawal from the country.
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