Key Global South countries attending the Ukraine “peace” conference in Switzerland in June 2024 refused to sign the
joint communique issued at the end of the two-day summit. Many of them underlined the need for Russian participation in
any such initiatives for them to be credible.
Countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Mexico, as well as BRICS members India, South Africa, Brazil, Saudi Arabia,
and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), did not agree to what was outlined in the communique, despite participating in the
summit.
Russia, which was not invited to join the summit, had already rejected the outcome and questioned the basis of the summit. President Vladimir Putin had called the summit an attempt by the
West to distract the world’s attention away from the root causes of the conflict.
China was invited but refused to participate. It had rejected the invitation claiming the meeting would not be
productive without the presence of Russia.
Colombia withdrew from the summit at the last moment. President Gustavo Pedro claimed that the conference in Switzerland is “not a free forum to discuss the path to peace between Russia and Ukraine” and
has “all conclusions already predetermined.”
Of the 90 participating countries, 78 signed the joint communique issued at the end of the conference. The majority of
those who signed the document were Western countries and their close allies such as Japan, Argentina, and Chile. As per reports, some countries such as Iraq and Jordan withdrew their signature after initially signing.