Switzerland is hosting a “Summit on Peace in Ukraine ” on June 15-16 at the five-star Bürgenstock hotel above Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland. The Swiss government says they hope this will lay the groundwork for a peace process in Ukraine which has been embroiled in a bloody war with Russia for the past two years. However, that notion is fantasy given the fact that at least 80 countries from around the world are invited, yet Russia is not.
You might then ask, how can the west engage in serious peace discussions with Russia if they refuse to sit at the negotiating table with Russian representatives? Obviously they can’t, but it’s becoming clear that this is not the intent.
China, realizing that the conference is not a sincere effort to engage in a dialogue on the war, has indicated its diplomats will also not be attending. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a routine briefing:
“The arrangements for the meeting still fall far short of China’s requests and the general expectations of the international community, making it difficult for China to participate…China has always insisted that an international peace conference should be endorsed by both Russia and Ukraine, with the equal participation of all parties, and that all peace proposals should be discussed in a fair and equal manner. Otherwise it will be difficult for it to play a substantive role in restoring peace.”
The CCP has been under pressure from western nations to stop the transfer of critical components used in the manufacture of Russian armaments, including dual-use components. They have also been admonished by NATO for continuing trade agreements that have helped Russia weather the effects of sanctions.
The Chinese may be concerned that their representatives will fall prey to a highly public NATO struggle session (which would be rather ironic), and that China will be chided on the world stage for “helping the enemy.” Without Russia or China in attendance the conference becomes nothing more than a strategy meeting for NATO members, and here is where the true purpose of the Swiss event is revealed.
Ukraine is losing the war, this much is clear. They are facing a desperate manpower shortfall and no amount of arms, ammo, technology or funding can improve the situation. Furthermore, Russian troops are making surprising gains across several areas of the front; this includes a new front opening up around Karkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. Harsh new conscription laws have a low chance of successfully re-energizing the ranks. This is why NATO members are suddenly lifting restrictions on US and European long range missiles and allowing Ukraine to attack targets deep in Russian territory.
It’s also the reason why EU members including France are considering the deployment of troops (as advisers) to Ukraine. The problem is that these actions escalate tensions and open the door to a wider war with the west. The Swiss summit may very well be in preparation for this inevitable outcome – A conference to sell global partners on more open NATO involvement in Ukraine. In other words, the “peace summit” might actually be a war summit, a sales pitch to 80 countries on the necessity of taking far greater risks to stop Russia from declaring a strategic win in the region.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 06/04/2024 – 04:15
