by John Revill and Thomas Escritt
LUCERNE, Switzerland (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, in Switzerland for the Ukraine peace conference, announced on Saturday more than $1.5 billion in additional aid to Kyiv for its humanitarian needs and energy.
Kamala Harris spoke with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, present in Lucerne, where Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was not invited.
“This war remains a real failure for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” declared the American vice-president, who represents Joe Biden, during the bilateral meeting.
The $1.5 billion in aid provides $500 million for the energy sector and earmarks $324 million previously promised for energy infrastructure repairs, Kamala Harris’ office said.
An envelope of more than 379 million dollars will be devoted to humanitarian aid (food, medical supplies, hygiene products, shelter, water).
The leaders of around a hundred states and organizations are meeting in Switzerland for this conference which aims to increase diplomatic pressure on Russia, but the absence of powerful allies of Moscow, such as China, limits its scope.
After saying it would consider participating, China ultimately declined Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky’s January invitation to his counterpart Xi Jinping, citing Russia’s absence from the conference.
Hopes of succeeding in isolating Moscow were dampened by Beijing’s announcement.
LIMITS OF DIPLOMACY
“The summit risks showing the limits of Ukrainian diplomacy,” said Richard Gowan, UN director of the International Crisis Group think tank. “However, this is a chance for Ukraine to remind the world that it upholds the values of the United Nations Charter.”
Before his departure for Bürgenstock, near Lucerne, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz judged that this was an important step on the path to peace. “We are going to discuss many peace and security issues, but not the biggest ones (which will have to be negotiated with Russia, editor’s note). This is what was always planned,” he told Welt TV .
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday set conditions for a ceasefire with Ukraine, including the formal annexation of four regions in the east and south, including territories his army does not control, claims immediately rejected as “absurd” by the Kyiv authorities.
“Everyone knows that the (Russian) proposal is not serious, but that it is linked to the holding of the conference in Switzerland,” commented Olaf Scholz, interviewed by ZDF.
Switzerland hopes that the summit will pave the way for a future peace process in which Russia would participate.
“The Peace Summit offers each country the opportunity to be heard and demonstrate leadership at the global level,” commented Volodimir Zelensky.
The issues of food security, freedom of navigation and nuclear security should in particular be addressed at the conference.
European officials, however, privately conceded that without the support of Moscow’s key allies, the conference’s impact would be limited.
“What can he (Volodimir Zelensky) expect from it?” said Daniel Woker, a former Swiss ambassador. “A new small step forward in international solidarity with Ukraine, victim of Russian aggression.”
(Reporting by Dave Graham, John Revill, Thomas Escritt, Emma Farge, Alan Charlish; French version Camille Raynaud and Tangi Salaün)
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