- Sputnik Africa, 1920, 10.04.2023
Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate and defend the inhabitants of the Donbass region, where people have been suffering from a blockade and regular attacks by the Kiev regime's forces since 2014.

BRICS Countries Refuse to Sign Final Declaration of Ukraine Conference in Switzerland

© AP Photo / Efrem LukatskyUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Swiss President Ignazio Cassis in Kyev
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Swiss President Ignazio Cassis in Kyev - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 16.06.2024
Subscribe
A total of 92 countries and 55 heads of state, along with eight organizations, including the EU, the Council of Europe, and the UN, took part in the Ukraine conference. US President Joe Biden, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, did not attend the conference.
The BRICS countries present at the Ukraine conference in Buergenstock, Switzerland, refused to sign a joint communiqué at the conclusion of the talks, according to the list of countries that signed the document.
Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that the text of the declaration for the Swiss summit on Ukraine was ready, with all of Kiev's principal positions taken into account.
The list of countries that signed the final communiqué was displayed by the organizers on screens in the press center in Buergenstock. The document was signed by 80 out of the 92 countries present, but Armenia, Bahrain, Brazil, the Holy See, India, Indonesia, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates did not sign it.
Sergueï Lavrov, lors d'une réunion de la 32e Assemblée du Conseil russe pour la politique extérieure et de défense - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 29.05.2024
Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
Lavrov Calls on Global South to Resist West's Pressure, Not to Attend Ukraine Meeting in Switzerland
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented new peace proposals for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, which included recognizing the status of Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions as parts of Russia. He also called for Ukraine's neutral and non-nuclear status, its demilitarization and denazification, and the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. The Ukrainian side rejected the initiative. Zelensky called Moscow's proposal an ultimatum, while his advisor Mikhail Podolyak argued that the new Russian initiatives allegedly did not contain a "real peace proposal."
By rejecting Putin's peace proposal, Kiev wants to deprive the Ukrainian people of a real chance for peace, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik in response to Podolyak's words.
Switzerland hosted the conference on Ukraine on June 15-16 near the city of Lucerne, in the resort town of Buergenstock.
Switzerland did not invite Russia to participate in the Ukraine summit. The Kremlin stated that seeking solutions to the Ukrainian conflict without Russia's involvement was completely illogical and unfeasible.
Newsfeed
0