The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, stated this Saturday that “it will be up to Ukraine” to decide “when” a peace agreement with Russia will be possible, stressing that any agreement must respect the rules of International Law.

“This war has an aggressor, which is Russia, and a victim, which is Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have the right to defend their children, their homes and their cities,” declared Michel, during the first plenary session of the peace summit on Ukraine organized in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, with the participation of representatives of 92 governments and 55 leaders. global. .

According to the president of the European Council – the body of the European Union (EU) that brings together the heads of State and Government of the 27 member states -, it is “a collective duty to defend a world based on laws”, recalling that the Charter of the United Nations recognizes the right to self-defense and the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity, which it claimed for Ukraine.

For Michel, the invasion launched by Russia against Ukraine aims to “replace the force of law with the law of force,” and he urged the countries present at the Swiss summit to “not allow it.”

“This war is more than an attack on the security of Europe or the idea of ​​Europe. “It is an attempt to transport us to a dark past, to a world of nuclear confrontations, dramatic food insecurity and economic crises,” she said.

Russia’s “threats to use nuclear weapons are totally unacceptable and irresponsible,” he said – referring to several Russian bombings against the facilities of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe – and lamented that “Russia’s reckless actions increase the risk of a nuclear explosion”. incident that would have consequences for the entire world.”

However, Michel made it clear that “there cannot be double standards” and stated that International Law must be respected “always and everywhere, without ambiguity,” whether “in Ukraine, in the Middle East or anywhere in the world.” .

Poland and Baltic countries say Russia continues to behave like “a colonial empire”

The president of Poland, Andrzej Duda – whose country took in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war that began in February 2022 – also criticized Russia at the Ukraine Peace Summit, stating that it continues to behave like “a colonial empire “, but raised the hypothesis of a future peace agreement, to end two and a half years of conflict, if Moscow “guarantees Ukrainian sovereignty.”

“Ukraine must defend its independence and its right to develop internal and external policies without the influence of Moscow,” Duda said in the plenary session of the Bürgenstock summit, expressing the hope that this will translate into progress “that puts pressure on the Kremlin.” . end its aggression and withdraw its troops from Ukraine, beyond its internationally recognized borders.”

The Polish head of state described the Russian war in Ukraine as “imperial and colonial in nature”, since, in his opinion, Moscow “intends to enslave the Ukrainian people, their children, use their resources, destroy their culture and deprive them of their rights.” to choose their own path to security and peace.”

Russia is often called the “prison of nations” because it houses 200 ethnic groups that have become part of the country, “sometimes through the same methods used by Moscow against Ukraine,” accused Duda, who also criticized Belarus. for its cooperation with the Government of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Next, the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, spoke, expressing, like other senior officials, the hope that there will be peace in Ukraine, but stressed that this “must not mean surrendering to the Russian occupation.”

To guarantee peace in Ukraine, “the enlargement of the European Union is essential,” said Sandu, whose country has long been interested in joining the community bloc.

The Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, recalled this Saturday, when speaking, that the entire policy of ceding territory to aggressor countries only generates more aggression, something that the world should know, due to experiences such as the Second World War at the level world. .

“Many countries suffered colonial wars, like mine: Estonia was under colonization and Russian occupation for almost half a century, until 1991. I grew up during that period and my mother was deported when I was a baby to Siberia,” he said, briefly explaining how “peace in Russian terms” is what it is.

“Seeing today the continuation of the colonialist theft of territory in Ukraine is a painful reminder of how history repeats itself,” said Kallas, hoping that the countries present at the Swiss summit “have learned from the mistakes of the past.”

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic warned today that Russia will continue to claim more territory in Ukraine, recalling that the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 was followed by a large-scale invasion and that Moscow will now claim the provinces of Zaporizhia. and Kherson.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not lasted two years and four months, it is a ten-year invasion and aggression against a neighboring country,” highlighted the Croatian ruler.

For Plenkovic, Putin demonstrated his territorial ambitions by conditioning any ceasefire negotiations on Friday on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the separatist provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk and the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia.

“And then possibly a break. And then we would have to wait and see what happens next,” commented the Croatian ruler, adding that Croatia cannot support a peace in which “the victim has to capitulate and give up their own territory,” which “its citizens must heroically defend.” . .”

The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, recalled the importance of talking about peace, stating that “if you do not talk about peace, you cannot achieve it,” in a speech in which he described the holding of that summit as “an achievement.” arguing that it should be “followed up.”

“Many of us are worried. We have 1,300 kilometers of border with Russia since the 13th century. “We have had more than 30 wars and confrontations with Russia,” he indicated.

“Russia invaded Finland in World War II. We lost 10% of our territory, including the area where my mother and grandparents were born. That is why our response was so vehement,” Stubb said, addressing mainly countries not located near Russia, and referring to Finland joining NATO shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24. of 2022.

In turn, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, stressed that respect for borders is the basis of international politics and rejected the idea of ​​“a world in which the borders of countries can be changed by military force, in which the aggressor dictates the rules.”

Representing the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni – who closed today the G7 summit (group of the seven most industrialized democracies in the world) chaired by Italy, in the seaside resort city of Bari -, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, He stated that “the political objective is a just peace” and that a possible peace agreement “cannot imply the surrender of Ukraine and the continued occupation of its territory by Russia.”