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The Ukraine War "peace summit" that was held in Switzerland 15-16 June was already seen in many parts of the world as of questionable utility and seriousness when Russia -- one of the parties in the conflict -- was not invited to the talks and China refused to take part as a result.
This sense among many outside of the imperial west has only been enhanced now with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the last minute refusing to take part and with Brazil, India and South Africa (among others) refusing to sign the final communique.
Petro said that the summit was not "a free forum to discuss the path to peace between Russia and Ukraine" and that its "conclusions have already been predetermined," reported the newspaper "El Tiempo."
"I am cancelling my trip to the meeting in Switzerland and ask Europe to talk how to end the war, not prolong it" he stated.
While Brazil attended the summit as an observer, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced at a press conference that he had informed the President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, "of his decision not to attend the international meeting on Sunday. Lula stated that Brazil will only participate in peace discussions when both sides of the conflict, Ukraine and Russia, are present at the negotiating table. "You can't resolve a conflict by meeting with just one side"".
"Let's definitely bring Russia and Zelensky to the table and see if we can convince them that peace will yield better results than war. In peace, nobody has to die, and nothing has to be destroyed. There's no need to victimize innocent soldiers, especially young ones, and an agreement can be reached. When both sides are willing, we are ready to discuss," added Lula.
With India declining to sign the final communique and the with China not attending at all, the world's two largest countries have not joined in the consensus that the west and Ukraine have been seeking around the conflict.