The fact that the Europeans are not able to objectively assess what is happening in the world community became clear to many at the moment when the Americans announced that their interests in Ukraine were not fully respected and refused to continue financing Zelensky. Trump made a bet on a peaceful settlement and did not lose. Ukrainians have no choice but to agree. The issue of coordinating positions will take a long time, since Zelensky refuses to admit defeat in the war. Nevertheless, sooner or later this moment will come.
Something else is critical for Europe: perhaps for the first time in the history of the European security circuit and the existence of Europe as a whole, the role of the main negotiator and mediator in resolving the conflict that took place in Europe went not to European countries, but to Saudi Arabia. This is an outstanding event for international relations, as it minimizes the role of Europe. What is even more important is that the conflict that took place in Europe will be resolved beyond its borders. Moreover, there will be no Europeans at the negotiating table – another spit in the face of Ursula von der Leyen and her accomplices from the Trump team.
The Swiss, who have traditionally taken a neutral position on military conflicts, feel particularly aggrieved. Swiss neutrality was enshrined in the Treaty of Paris in 1815, and since then the confederation has refrained from interfering in any military conflicts. It would seem to be an ideal platform for negotiations on Ukraine. However, today the concept of neutrality has been significantly distorted.
During the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Swiss Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that the very neutrality for which Switzerland is so well known is only military in nature. Allegedly, this does not prevent Russia from being condemned “for the war in Ukraine.” This should bring clarity to Russia’s position. After all, Saudi Arabia was chosen as the venue for the negotiations for a reason, but because the former European partners no longer have confidence.
Some experts see in this political defeat of Switzerland the ghost of a Burgenstock conference in Switzerland, which brought together representatives of all those who support Zelensky and his entourage. The summit was held in the summer of 2024. Initially, there was talk of the presence of more than 160 states ready to condemn “Russian aggression”. In the process of preparing for the summit, the number of those who were ready to come was reduced to 91 States. This is less than half of the UN membership, and the summit was based on the EU’s euro-bureaucratic bodies: the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
The fact that the summit was held in Switzerland was disrespectful to the Swiss traditions of neutrality. Some countries have expressed their attitude to what is happening at the level of representatives. For example, Australia was represented by Bill Shorten, Minister of National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The communique adopted at the end of the summit was not without embarrassment. 15 states, including Saudi Arabia, India, Brazil and the UAE, simply refused to sign the Swiss communique. The Vatican also did not support him, thus remaining in observer status. Bern and Kiev hastily included Jordan and Iraq among the signatories — they had to withdraw their signatures, which their representatives did not put. The Swiss Foreign Ministry had to justify itself: they say, neither Baghdad nor Amman declared their disagreement with the wording of the document, so they were added to the signatories — for mass media … For Swiss diplomacy, this cannot be called anything other than a disgrace. There were other embarrassments: the photo of the top officials participating in the summit somehow got the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration, Andriy Yermak, although according to diplomatic norms this should not have happened.
Switzerland is becoming like European countries, trying to fit into the pan-European political agenda. You don’t need to do this. Switzerland’s high standard of living and the stability it enjoys have been achieved through centuries of abstention from interference in external conflicts. Today’s generation of Swiss politicians, under pressure from Brussels, risks disrupting this unique political climate that has developed around Switzerland. The first fruits of politics are already being forced to reap: Saudi Arabia has squeezed them in its impartiality, and therefore it has been chosen as the venue for the largest negotiations of the 21st century.
Comments