Peace summit enters second day as western powers look to exert pressure on Russia
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. Western powers and countries from the rest of the world will use the second day of a major summit in Switzerland today to pursue a consensus on condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and underscoring concerns about the war’s human cost.
A draft of the final summit declaration, seen by Reuters, refers to Russia’s invasion as a “war” – a label Moscow rejects – and calls for Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov seaports to be restored.
Moscow casts what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine as part of a broader struggle with the west, which it says wants to bring Russia to its knees. Kyiv and the west say Russia is waging an illegal war of conquest.
World leaders including US vice-president Kamala Harris, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron gathered this weekend at a mountaintop resort in a bid to bolster international support for ending the war.
Many western leaders voiced forceful condemnation of the invasion, invoking the UN Charter in defence of Ukrainian territorial integrity, and rejecting Russian president Vladimir Putin’s demands for parts of Ukraine as a condition for peace.
“One thing is clear in this conflict: there is an aggressor, which is Putin, and there is a victim, which is the Ukrainian people,” Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said.
Here’s a summary of the rest of the day’s events:
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Shortly before leaving for the summit yesterday, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz said that G7 leaders did not discuss Vladimir Putin’s proposals for peace in Ukraine since everyone knew they were not serious. Scholz said the Russian president’s proposals – for Ukraine to abandon four provinces Russia claims, stop fighting and drop its ambition of Nato membership – were aimed only at distracting from the conference. The Kremlin said on Saturday that the west had reacted unconstructively to Putin’s proposals for a new security architecture and peace talks with Ukraine.
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The US vice-president, Kamala Harris, who attended the summit in place of the US president, Joe Biden, announced more than $1.5bn (£1.2bn) in aid for Ukraine. The $1.5bn includes $500m (£395m) in new funding for energy assistance and the redirecting of $324m (£256m) in previously announced funds toward emergency energy infrastructure repair and other needs in Ukraine, the vice-president’s office said. She also announced more than $379m (£300m) in humanitarian assistance from the state department and the US agency for international development to help refugees and other people affected by the war.
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Prisoners at a pre-trial detention centre in Russia’s southern region of Rostov took two employees hostage, the Federal Penitentiary Service said on Sunday. The five men who took hostages claim they are supporters of Islamic State, the Baza Telegram channel, which has sources in Russian law enforcement, reported on Sunday, according to Reuters.
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Swedish fighter jets intercepted a Russian military aircraft after it briefly violated Sweden’s airspace on Friday east of the Baltic island of Gotland, the Nordic country’s armed forces said. Sweden’s foreign minister, Tobias Billstrom, called the airspace violation “unacceptable” and said officials from the Russian embassy in Stockholm would be summoned to his ministry over the incident.
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Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Ukraine-sceptic prime minister Robert Fico, was sworn in as Slovakia’s new president.
Key events
Norway has announced that it will provide 1.1 billion kroner (£80m) to Ukraine to help repair its energy infrastructure and secure the country’s electricity supply before next winter, Reuters reports.
“Russia is carrying out massive, systematic attacks to paralyse the power grid, but Ukrainians are working day and night to maintain essential electricity supplies for the population,” prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement.
According to new estimates, more than 50% of Ukraine’s power production capacity has been destroyed, the government said.
“We are in close dialogue with Ukraine on how it can use these funds most effectively. The Ukrainians themselves have the best insight into what is needed,” Store said, adding that it was important to begin infrastructure repairs before the onset of winter.
Norway said it had already been decided that 120 million kroner would go toward repairs in the Kharkiv area, which has been hit particularly hard by Russian attacks recently.
Solar panels will be installed at seven maternity units and operating theatres in the Kharkiv area, Store said in the statement, which was issued as he attended the peace summit in Switzerland.
In 2022, Norway provided 2.1 billion kroner in funding to the Ukrainian energy sector, and 1.9 billion kroner last year.
The Scandinavian country has pledged 75 billion kroner in military and civilian aid to Ukraine for the five-year period 2023-2027, with funding allocated each year in line with Ukraine’s needs.
Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer has said the final declaration at this weekend’s summit of world leaders aimed a paving the way for peace in Ukraine is not headed for unanimous support, Reuters reports.
Nehammer was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the conference.
Earlier he posted a picture with Kenya’s president William Ruto, saying they had discussed the issue of food security in Africa in relation to the war in Ukraine.
Good exchange with President @WilliamsRuto on the impact of Russian aggression on food security in Africa. Kenya is our crucial partner and an anchor of stability in a volatile region. 🇰🇪🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/JzUJUBXxm7
— Karl Nehammer (@karlnehammer) June 16, 2024
AP provides some more detail on the hostage situation at a detention centre in Rostov, which ended when Russian special forces stormed the facility:
Security forces stormed a detention centre in southern Russia on Sunday, killing inmates who had taken two members of staff hostage, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
The hostages at the pre-trial detention centre were uninjured, said RIA Novosti, citing Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service.
It said that the hostage takers had been “liquidated,” with other local news outlets reporting that at least some of the prisoners had been killed.
Earlier, state news agency Tass, citing unnamed sources in law enforcement, had said that six hostage takers were in the central courtyard of the detention centre, armed with a penknife, a rubber baton and a fire axe. The prisoners include men accused of links to the Isis.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has said the text of the final communique from this weekend’s peace summit is finished.
He said Kyiv’s positions have been considered and told reporters at the Buergenstock resort in Switzerland that the text was complete and “balanced.” He also said no alternative peace plans had been discussed at the two-day event.
Rostov detention centre hostages freed
The hostages held at a detention centre in Russia’s southern region of Rostov were released unharmed and their captors killed after special forces stormed the facility, Russia’s Interfax news agency said, citing Russia’s prison service.
It was not immediately clear how many of the six hostage-takers had been killed.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked leaders and officials for attending this weekend’s peace summit as today’s talks get under way.
“A united world is a world of peace, a world that knows how to do the right thing. I thank everyone who worked for this day – every leader, all the teams and advisors of the leaders, all the countries. Our unity here proves that the very idea of international law remains alive and effective,” Zelenskiy said in a tweet.
A united world is a world of peace, a world that knows how to do the right thing. I thank everyone who worked for this day – every leader, all the teams and advisors of the leaders, all the countries. Our unity here proves that the very idea of international law remains alive and… pic.twitter.com/SXOR0KlPRN
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 16, 2024
Reuters reports that gunfire was heard near the detention centre where prison guards were taken hostage by detainees, citing a report from the scene by Russia’s RIA news agency.
The full text of that summit declaration draft is here:
“The ongoing war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine continues to cause large-scale human suffering and destruction, and to create risks and crises with global repercussions for the world. We gathered in Switzerland on 15-16 June 2024 to enhance a high-level dialogue on pathways towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. We reiterated resolutions A/RES/ES-11/1 and A/RES/ES-11/6 adopted at the UN General Assembly and underscored our commitment to upholding International Law including the United Nations Charter.
“This Summit was built on the previous discussions that have taken place based on Ukraine’s Peace Formula and other peace proposals which are in line with international law, including the United Nations Charter.
“We deeply appreciate Switzerland’s hospitality and its initiative to host the High-Level Summit as expression of its firm commitment to promoting international peace and security.
“We had a fruitful, comprehensive and constructive exchange of various views on pathways towards a framework for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, based on international law, including the United Nations Charter. In particular, we reaffirm our commitment to refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognized borders, including territorial waters, and the resolution of disputes through peaceful means as principles of international law.
“We, furthermore, have a common vision on the following crucial aspects:
“1) Firstly, any use of nuclear energy and nuclear installations must be safe, secured, safe-guarded and environmentally sound. Ukrainian nuclear power plants and installations, including Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, must operate safely and securely under full sovereign control of Ukraine and in line with IAEA principles and under its supervision.
“Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine is inadmissible.
“2) Secondly, global food security depends on uninterrupted manufacturing and supply of food products. In this regard, free, full and safe commercial navigation, as well as access to sea ports in the Black and Azov Seas, are critical. Attacks on merchant ships in ports and along the entire route, as well as against civilian ports and civilian port infrastructure, are unacceptable.
“Food security must not be weaponized in any way. Ukrainian agricultural products should be securely and freely provided to interested third countries.
“3) Thirdly, all prisoners of war must be released by complete exchange. All deported and unlawfully displaced Ukrainian children, and all other Ukrainian civilians who were unlawfully detained, must be returned to Ukraine.
“We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties. We, therefore, decided to undertake concrete steps in the future in the above-mentioned areas with further engagement of the representatives of all parties.
“The United Nations Charter, including the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, can and will serve as a basis in achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Reuters reports that it has seen a draft of the final summit declaration from this weekend’s peace summit.
The draft refers to Russia’s invasion as a “war” – a label Moscow rejects – and calls for Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov Sea ports to be restored.
The draft, dated 13 June, called for Ukraine’s territorial integrity to be respected.
But – in line with the conference’s more modest stated aims – it omitted knottier issues of what a post-war settlement for Ukraine might look like, whether Ukraine could join the NATO alliance or how troop withdrawals from both sides might be managed.
Peace summit talks will focus on food security, avoiding a nuclear disaster and repatriating deported children
Leaders and officials from more than 90 countries are in attendance at the peace summit in a secluded resort about Lake Lucerne in Switzerland – though China snubbed the event and Russia was not invited.
Countries will break into three working groups today, looking at nuclear safety and security, humanitarian issues, and food security and freedom of navigation on the Black Sea.
The session on humanitarian aspects will focus on issues around prisoners of war, civil detainees, internees and the fate of missing persons. It will also discuss the repatriation of children taken from occupied Ukrainian territory into Russia.
“We have seen around 20,000 Ukrainian children effectively abducted from their families, community and country. How terrifying a thing is that to say, and how can the world turn its back on that?” Irish prime minister Simon Harris told reporters.
Talks on food security will examine the slump in agricultural production and exports, which has had a ripple effect across the world as Ukraine was one of the world’s breadbaskets before the war.
The 30 countries in this working group include the UK, Brazil, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Kenya, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and Turkey.
The nuclear safety group will look at the fragile situation surrounding the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, notably Zaporizhzhia, where all of the reactors have been shut down since mid-April.
Talks will hone in on reducing the risk of an accident resulting from a malfunction or an attack on Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
Minds are also turning to a potential second summit, at which Ukraine wants to present Russia with an internationally-agreed plan for peace.
Reuters provides some more detail on the hostage situation in Rostov: six detainees, some with links to Isis, took guards hostage at a pre-trial detention centre and demanded free passage in negotiations with the authorities, Russian media reported on Sunday.
The men, who include some already convicted of terrorism offences, knocked out the bars of a window in their cell and entered a guard room where they took at least two prison officers hostage, the Baza Telegram channel said.
State media said that some of the prisoners were accused of terrorism offences including affiliation with the Isis militant group, which claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall in March.
Russian photographer Nikita Tsitsagi, who was working for Russian news website News.ru, has been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Donbas, the news site reported.
“Our correspondent Nikita Tsitsagi was killed in an attack by Ukrainian armed forces drones,” the site said. “We offer our condolences to Nikita’s family and friends.”
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
A police source told Russian state news agency Tass that Isis members who are due to appear in court on terrorism charges are among the hostage takers at the Rostov detention centre, according to AFP.
Another Russian news agency, Interfax, reports that the hostage takers have demanded a car and free passage, citing unidentified sources.
Detainees who took hostages in Rostov claim they are supporters of Isis
Five men who took hostages at a detention centre in Russia’s southern region of Rostov claim they are supporters of ISIS, Reuters reports, citing the Baza Telegram channel, which has sources in Russian law enforcement.
Prisoners at a pre-trial detention centre took two employees hostage, the Federal Penitentiary Service said on Sunday.
“The institution operates as usual, the situation is under control,” the service said in message on the Telegram messaging app.
It added that law enforcement agencies were called to the site.
Russia’s RIA state news agency reported, citing unidentified sources, that the detainees who ere involved in taking the employees hostage are accused of terrorism.
Road traffic around the centre has been limited, Russian agencies reported.
The Baza report could not be independently verified but we will bring you any updates as soon as we know more.
Peace summit enters second day as western powers look to exert pressure on Russia
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. Western powers and countries from the rest of the world will use the second day of a major summit in Switzerland today to pursue a consensus on condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and underscoring concerns about the war’s human cost.
A draft of the final summit declaration, seen by Reuters, refers to Russia’s invasion as a “war” – a label Moscow rejects – and calls for Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov seaports to be restored.
Moscow casts what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine as part of a broader struggle with the west, which it says wants to bring Russia to its knees. Kyiv and the west say Russia is waging an illegal war of conquest.
World leaders including US vice-president Kamala Harris, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron gathered this weekend at a mountaintop resort in a bid to bolster international support for ending the war.
Many western leaders voiced forceful condemnation of the invasion, invoking the UN Charter in defence of Ukrainian territorial integrity, and rejecting Russian president Vladimir Putin’s demands for parts of Ukraine as a condition for peace.
“One thing is clear in this conflict: there is an aggressor, which is Putin, and there is a victim, which is the Ukrainian people,” Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said.
Here’s a summary of the rest of the day’s events:
-
Shortly before leaving for the summit yesterday, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz said that G7 leaders did not discuss Vladimir Putin’s proposals for peace in Ukraine since everyone knew they were not serious. Scholz said the Russian president’s proposals – for Ukraine to abandon four provinces Russia claims, stop fighting and drop its ambition of Nato membership – were aimed only at distracting from the conference. The Kremlin said on Saturday that the west had reacted unconstructively to Putin’s proposals for a new security architecture and peace talks with Ukraine.
-
The US vice-president, Kamala Harris, who attended the summit in place of the US president, Joe Biden, announced more than $1.5bn (£1.2bn) in aid for Ukraine. The $1.5bn includes $500m (£395m) in new funding for energy assistance and the redirecting of $324m (£256m) in previously announced funds toward emergency energy infrastructure repair and other needs in Ukraine, the vice-president’s office said. She also announced more than $379m (£300m) in humanitarian assistance from the state department and the US agency for international development to help refugees and other people affected by the war.
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Prisoners at a pre-trial detention centre in Russia’s southern region of Rostov took two employees hostage, the Federal Penitentiary Service said on Sunday. The five men who took hostages claim they are supporters of Islamic State, the Baza Telegram channel, which has sources in Russian law enforcement, reported on Sunday, according to Reuters.
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Swedish fighter jets intercepted a Russian military aircraft after it briefly violated Sweden’s airspace on Friday east of the Baltic island of Gotland, the Nordic country’s armed forces said. Sweden’s foreign minister, Tobias Billstrom, called the airspace violation “unacceptable” and said officials from the Russian embassy in Stockholm would be summoned to his ministry over the incident.
-
Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Ukraine-sceptic prime minister Robert Fico, was sworn in as Slovakia’s new president.
