President Pavel welcomes outcome of peace summit on Ukraine

Czech President Petr Pavel has welcomed the outcome of the peace summit on Ukraine held in Switzerland over the weekend, saying that the expectations that it would bring at least some progress towards peace had been fulfilled. He said it was vitally important that an overwhelming number of countries had expressed support for the UN charter, Ukraine’s right of self-defense and the need to preserve the country’s territorial integrity. The fact that some of the participating states did not sign the joint final declaration does not automatically mean that they are in opposition, Mr. Pavel said. He described the summit as a first step on the road to peace, and stressed the importance of getting China on board as negotiations continue.

The two-day summit ended with a joint declaration stating that the territorial integrity of Ukraine must be the basis for any future peace agreement. It further called for the release of war prisoners and the return of all deported and displaced Ukrainian children, and the need to safeguard the nuclear installations in the country.