A peace conference over Ukraine is unlikely to silence the guns
Serious negotiations are unlikely to begin before the year’s end at the earliest
IT WAS MEANT to be a big show, a historic conference on the 500th day of the war, and one that just might end it. But from the very start Volodymyr Zelensky’s Global Peace Summit has run into problems. Delayed five times, it was finally scheduled for June 15th and 16th, respectively days 843 and 844 of the conflict. Now, with flags ready to be hoisted in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, the worry is that the guest-list is not long or high-level enough. Russia was never meant to be there. But snubs from the Chinese and from President Joe Biden have been obvious blows, and have prompted public rebukes from Mr Zelensky. Vladimir Putin would be applauding Mr Biden’s absence, he snapped.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “So far it’s all gossip”
Europe June 15th 2024
- Why France’s president called a snap election
- Beyond France, the European elections will deliver more of the same
- A peace conference over Ukraine is unlikely to silence the guns
- The tiny statelet of Transnistria is squeezed on all sides
- Politics overshadows a conference to raise money for Ukraine
- No wonder Macron’s gambling: Europe is home to the high-roller
From the June 15th 2024 edition
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Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare
A rise in antisemitism puts Europe’s liberal values to the test
The return of Europe’s oldest scourge
Once dominant, Germany is now desperate
As an election looms its business model is breaking down