Global South Countries Break With West On Ukraine Summit Final Declaration
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.