Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the Global Peace Summit, Burgenstock Resort, Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, June 15, 2024

Saturday’s Coverage: The Global Peace Summit in Switzerland

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1634 GMT:

In a video message, a Russian soldier says the invaders are suffering heavy losses in their 38-day offensive in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine.

Anton Andreev of the 1009th Regiment said only 12 of 100 soldiers in his unit were still alive, facing constant Ukrainian fire and drones. They were among the forces assaulting the border town of Vovchansk, which is still resisting capture.

“They just chop us up. We are sent under machine guns, under drones in daylight, like meat. And commanders just shout ‘forward and forward’,” Andreev said.

I don’t know if I will get out of this or not, but I need to say this to honour the memory of those who died like meat here because of certain individuals.

You walk through the street, and everything seems to be fine. But then you get caught up in a massacre. During the first night, half the company immediately died.

UPDATE 1623 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has told a plenary session of the Global Peace Summit, “I hope that we can achieve results as soon as possible. We’ll prove to everyone in the world that the UN charter can be restored to full effectiveness.”

He said at a press conference, “We agreed to start to work in special after-summit groups on specific ideas, proposals and developments that can restore security in various aspects. When the action plans for peace are ready and when every step is worked out, the path will be opened for the second Peace Summit.”

The large majority of more than 90 countries at the Summit signed the final communiqué but Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, and the UAE reserved their positions.

As reported earlier (see Original Entry), the communiqué emphasized: “We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties….We reaffirm our commitment to …the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognized borders.”

Signatories called for a “complete exchange” of POWs and for Russia to return all Ukrainian children who had been “deported and unlawfully displaced”.

They noted the discussions on global food security and nuclear safety, and said Ukraine should regain “full sovereign control” over the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

UPDATE 1030 GMT:

Three civilians were killed and six injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine on Saturday.

Nine regions — Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Donetsk — were targeted.

In the village of Ulakly in Donetsk, around 60 km (37 miles) west of Russian-occupied Donetsk city, three people were killed and five injured by rockets. Two administrative buildings, a house, a shop, and eight cars were damaged.

In the neighboring Kharkiv region, a man was injured in the village of Kurylivka as three houses were damaged.

UPDATE 1008 GMT:

Norway will provide 1.1 billion kroner ($103 million) to Ukraine for repair of energy infrastructure and security of electricity supply before next winter.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said:

Russia is carrying out massive, systematic attacks to paralyze the power grid, but Ukrainians are working day and night to maintain essential electricity supplies for the population.

We are in close dialogue with Ukraine on how it can use these funds most effectively. The Ukrainians themselves have the best insight into what is needed.

Oslo said 120 million kroner will go toward repairs in the area of Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, a primary target for the Russians. Solar panels will be installed at seven maternity units and operating theaters.

UPDATE 1003 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted for the second day of the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland:

UPDATE 0717 GMT:

Facing US-led sanctions which have curbed their business, including with China, Russian companies are resorting to bitcoin, crypto-currency, and even barter.

The restrictions have tightened this year, with the US pledging to impose secondary sanctions on any firms or financial institutions dealing with the Russians. As a result, banks in countries such as China and Turkey have halted transactions.

Vladimir Putin unsuccesfully raised the issue during his visit to Beijing and meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month.

At last week’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, industrialists said money transfers from Russia to China needed up to three months, and even then might be returned to the sender.

Businesses complained that they could not even pay for theater decorations or children’s displays. Pavel Brun, the head of MasterProf, said his company hasn’t been able to arrange the supply of plumbing fixtures: “It’s like walking through a minefield.”

Almost half of payments by Russian businesses are now going through companies and banks in third countries such as China’s Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the UAE. But intermediaries may charge a commission of several thousand dollars per transaction; there is no guarantee of success; and the sender has difficutly getting money back if the payment fails.

So some companies are using cryptocurrency to make payments to China. The stablecoin Tether, pegged to the U.S. dollar, is favored because payments can be processed in 5-15 seconds and without hefty commissions.

There are risks for Chinese partners because in 2021 the local regulator has deemed all cryptocurrency transactions illegal. So Russian steel companies are bartering metal for any goods that Chinese businesses are willing to offer.

UPDATE 0653 GMT:

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Lt. Gen. Ivan Havrylyuk, says Western military aid is making a difference on the frontline of Russia’s invasion.

However, Havrylyuk said the assistance from the US and Europe will likely not have a significant impact on the situation in eastern Ukraine for several weeks.

The general said Ukrainian forces are waiting for most of the US military assistance, announced in late April 2024 with the passage of $60.8 billion in budget authorization, to arrive.

The munitions which have arrived have reduced the Russian advantage in artillery from 7:1 to 5:1.

Frontline Ukrainian commanders and servicemen confirmed the arrival of limited amounts of shells, but noted that they are not at the scale needed for a full defense against Russian attacks.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský announced on June 14 that the first round of ammunition from a Czech artillery initiative, on behalf of the European Union, have begun to arrive in Ukraine. The initiative is seeking to supply hundreds of thousands of shells.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: The draft declaration of the first Global Peace Summit, which opened Saturday in Switzerland, will blame Russia’s war on Ukraine for “large-scale human suffering and destruction”.

More than 100 countries and organizations will urge respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Kyiv should regain control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, occupied by Russia in the firstdays of the 28-month invasion, and access to all its seaports.

On Sunday, working group will discuss nuclear safety, freedom of navigation, food security, and Black Sea shipping. They will also consider arrangements for the return of prisoners of war, civilian detainees, and Ukrainian children deported by Russia.

Meeting a series of national leaders, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared, “Today is the day when the world begins to bring a just peace closer.”

At a joint appearance with Zelenskiy, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced more than $1.5 billion in aid for Ukraine.

The package includes $500 million for energy assistance; more than $379 million for food assistance, health services, shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene services; and redirection of $324 million in funds towards emergency energy infrastructure repair and other needs.

Harris said, “This war remains an utter failure for Putin. It is in our interest to uphold international norms.”

Estonia Prime Minister Kaja Kallas summarized: