A peace conference over Ukraine is unlikely to silence the guns
Serious negotiations are unlikely to begin before the year’s end at the earliest
IT WAS MEANT to be a big show, a historic conference on the 500th day of the war, and one that just might end it. But from the very start Volodymyr Zelensky’s Global Peace Summit has run into problems. Delayed five times, it was finally scheduled for June 15th and 16th, respectively days 843 and 844 of the conflict. Now, with flags ready to be hoisted in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, the worry is that the guest-list is not long or high-level enough. Russia was never meant to be there. But snubs from the Chinese and from President Joe Biden have been obvious blows, and have prompted public rebukes from Mr Zelensky. Vladimir Putin would be applauding Mr Biden’s absence, he snapped.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “So far it’s all gossip”
Europe June 15th 2024
- Why France’s president called a snap election
- Beyond France, the European elections will deliver more of the same
- A peace conference over Ukraine is unlikely to silence the guns
- The tiny statelet of Transnistria is squeezed on all sides
- Politics overshadows a conference to raise money for Ukraine
- No wonder Macron’s gambling: Europe is home to the high-roller
From the June 15th 2024 edition
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A harrowing rape trial in France has revived debate about consent
Anything less than yes is no
How the wolf went from folktale villain to culture-war scapegoat
The startling return of wolves in Europe raises hackles
The Netherlands’ new hard-right government is a mess
Conflicts over asylum, farms and the constitution could bring it down
Ukraine’s Roma have suffered worse than most in the war
Half of them may have fled
Pedro Sánchez clings to office at a cost to Spain’s democracy
His opponents accuse him of subverting the constitution
Why the hard-right Herbert Kickl is unlikely to be Austria’s next chancellor
In spite of his strong win