In the third year of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Kyiv’s troops continue to face a tough fight on the front lines. While it is a truism that wars end at the negotiating table, at present, meaningful negotiations that could truly end this devastating war remain out of reach. This does not, however, mean that diplomacy is not another battlefield.

While their forces fight on, Ukraine’s diplomats have worked with partners to convene a series of international meetings to discuss the conflict and seek support for their vision of a settlement, a “peace formula” developed in Kyiv. The next meeting is set to take place in Lucerne, Switzerland on June 15-17 and Kyiv has sought to get global leaders to take part, dubbing it “The First Peace Summit for Ukraine”.

As participants meet in Lucerne, Crisis Group welcomes you to a discussion of that meeting, its implications, and Ukraine’s diplomatic strategy. We will discuss Ukraine’s objectives for Lucerne and the goals of other participants, to say nothing of the Swiss hosts. Crisis Group analysts will also assess Kyiv’s broader diplomatic strategy and the relationship between what happens in Switzerland and prospects for a sustainable peace deal, with Russian participation.

The panel discussion will be held in English and will be live-streamed on YouTube.

Panellists:
Olga Oliker, Director, Europe and Central Asia program
Alissa de Carbonnel, Deputy Director, Europe and Central Asia program
Richard Gowan, UN Director
Simon Schlegel, Senior Analyst, Ukraine
Oleg Ignatov, Senior Analyst, Russia