Ukraine summit declaration unlikely to be signed by all participants

Vienna, June 16 (IANS/DPA) Not all participants at the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland are expected to sign the final declaration, although more because of the wording than an actual lack of support, according to Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

Diplomatic subtleties in the writing aside, the basic common position would not be affected, Nehammer said on Sunday on the sidelines of the event at the Burgenstock mountain hotel resort near Lucerne.

"That's why I'm not so worried if not everyone signs now," said the Chancellor.

The question of the scope of a follow-up conference was also still difficult to answer.

Before Russia also takes a seat at the negotiating table, another conference in a different format is conceivable, Nehammer added. "You have to see it as a process."

The two-day conference of 92 states and eight international organisations was due to end on Sunday afternoon when the final declaration was also to be published.

According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the conference, as such, brought significant progress.

Kuleba said that all countries that were not present were also aware of the impetus provided by the meeting.

Overall, the process that has been initiated is welcome, he added.

"We are on the right track," he said.

Kuleba again stressed the need to support Ukraine militarily with the highest quality weapons possible.

According to him, the stronger Ukraine is, the more willing Moscow will be to negotiate peace.

Press conferences were planned at the end of the conference, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The event aimed to initiate a peace process in which Russia would also be involved in the long term. Officials from Moscow were not invited on this occasion and did not express a wish to attend.

Source: IANS