Ukraine – Russia: Towards a Peace Agreement – An Alternative Peace Conference in Flühli, Switzerland. By: Peter Koenig

The official Swiss-sponsored “Ukraine Peace Conference” took place on the lush Swiss Burgenstock Resort on the Lake of Lucerne, to which deliberately Russia, one of the two most important “players” was not invited. That is unforgiveable.

Indeed, the result was a total failure. Two days after the Burgenstock Meet, the media were silenced – not a word anymore about the Burgenstock event.

Switzerland was warned about not inviting Russia by several influential countries, and their leaders, including Brazil’s President Lula da Silva and Saudi’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman – and others – that they would not attend the Swiss event, since nothing constructive could come of it, without Russia being at the table. 

See this for more details https://www.globalresearch.ca/war-conference-burgenstock-switzerland/5860369 .

On 12 June, three days before the start of the official Summit, we, a group of friends and Peace activists, friends of Real Peace, organized an informal but REAL Peace Conference in Flühli, Switzerland. We called it “Mutual Peace Engagement – Conference” (MPEC).

In the MPEC participated international experts with ample experience on the ground in Ukraine, as well as in Russia. They included a Russian-Swiss Journalist, representing Russian interests; a former US CIA agent, with decades of international experience and representing US interests, as well as retired high-level Swiss and German army officers, who had years of on-the-ground knowledge, in the region, especially in Ukraine and Russia.

Interestingly, the MPEC participants attempted to invite also a representative from Ukraine, but were unlucky. All potential candidates declined, answering almost unanimously: Too dangerous for potentially expressing an opinion which may not be in line with the Zelenskyy policy. They mentioned possible reprisals against themselves and / or their families.

The participants at the MPEC also were aware of history, what led to the Maidan Coup in 2014, who orchestrated it – and that, indeed, the war started already in 2014, what Mr. Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General said on several occasions, thereby admitting that it was not Russia’s interference – NOT invasion – in the Donbass Region of Ukraine, that prompted the current war.

This historic point was clearly made by the US representative who spoke to the Conference by Zoom from the United States.

This sort of momentous perspective was not even discussed at the official Swiss-sponsored conference, let alone taken into account, in the summits conclusions.

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The MPEC does not pretend having the perfect solution. Such may never exist, but the MPEC worked towards a proposal that may come close enough that with compromises a Peace Accord could be achieved.

For example, in April 2022, Turkey sponsored a Peace Conference at which all parties were present, including Ukraine, represented by President Zelenskyy, a potential Peace Agreement was reached, where all parties were ready to sign, including President Putin and President Zelenskyy. In a last-minute intervention, Boris Johnson, then PM of the UK, called Zelenskyy not to sign the accord.

It was then clear; the west was not interested in Peace, and President Zelenskyy was not autonomous, was not leading a sovereign country.

The same today – the West is not interested in Peace. The west wants to continue what they believe and wish, weakening Russia, for eventually taking over the largest (surface) and richest (resources) country of the world. Ukraine is the perfect platform for this proxy-war of the US against Russia.

Maybe more important, or equally important, is this: “WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.” Quote from a 1935 speech by Smedley D. Butler, a retired United States Marine Corps Major General and two-time Medal of Honor recipient.

This is as true today as it was then. Killing is the most profitable business, just ahead of drug trading and human trafficking.

During the recent SPIEF (St. Petersburg International Economic Forum) Conference in St. Petersburg, a journalist asked President Putin, what it would take to come to a Peace Agreement in Ukraine. Mr. Putin replied something to the effect that the agreement reached in April 2022 in Istanbul, boycotted by Boris Johnson, would be a good basis; of course, many things have happened since then, and a potential agreement would have to be updated accordingly.

Part of the update might probably include the four Russian / Russian-speaking territories currently under Russia’s protective control. Let us not forget, since the Maidan Coup on 22 February 2014, Kiev’s Azov battalions, also called the “Right Sector”, have killed about 14,000 to 17,000 Russians (17,000 is the latest Russian figure) in these areas, mostly women and children.

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See this 12 min. video-composite summary of the most crucial points made at the MPEC meeting in Flühli  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwFTa6Ua21g .

The MPEC looked at the 2022 Istanbul draft agreement and conditions, which were found quite reasonable by all participants, including representatives of Russia and the US. The MPEC then came up with the following key points be necessary to achieve Peace:

1. An immediate Ceasefire – along the current frontier lines – towards a lasting Peace Agreement. The latter could be brokered by a neutral country – China has offered her diplomatic services. Other alternatives, might include, Hungary, Serbia, the Check Republic, others….or a committee of a combination of several countries.

2. Establishment of a buffer zone along the Russian – Ukraine border.

3. Autonomy of the new Russian-controlled territories, possibly incorporation into the Russian Federation for Donbas Region, as well as newly gained predominantly Russian / Russian-speaking territories; possibly another referendum of the people of these territories.

4. No further discussion about Crimea and the port city of Sevastopol. They voted in March 2014 overwhelmingly (over 90%) to become part of the Russian Federation which the Duma (Russian Parliament) ratified.

5. No NATO or other foreign troops in Ukraine.

6. Demilitarization of Ukraine – no more western weapon deliveries.

7. No nuclear war heads in Ukraine, ever.

8. Denazification of Ukraine – Azov and related “Bandera-type” groups, the “Right Sector”, are to be forbidden. Just as a reminder, Ukraine Nazi troops fought with Hitler during WWII against Russia and are responsible for hundreds of thousands of Russian deaths.

9. No “land-grabbing” by western corporations, so that Ukraine, once free and autonomous from any occupation, will be a sovereign Ukraine for sovereign Ukrainian people.

10. Neutrality for Ukraine – a sovereign state, free to deal and have relations with east and west.

11. Bringing war crimes / criminals to justice.

12. Establishment of a multi-national supervisory commission – suggested 5 years, renewable, if necessary.

13. Creation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission – for the people to be sociologically and psychologically able to deal with the damages of the conflict.

The MPEC suggests on purpose NOT to engage the political UN in matters of Peace Agreement and / or its supervision, as the UN is, at present, not neutral, but in the hands of Big Finance and in an alliance with the WEF – which is in turn controlled by Big Finance and elite billionaire oligarchs.

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In addition, the MPEC formulated suggestions for long-term Peace enhancement.

Preamble: All political big shots, financial oligarchs and other power-brokers calling for war – should first, before anybody else – go to the front and fight as soldiers – taking and experiencing the risk of being maimed or killed. That rule might stop ALL WARS for good.

i) An immediate and supervised Ceasefire is precondition for a lasting “Mutual Peace Agreement”.

ii) Internationally observed ban of weapon deliveries to warrying parties – worldwide; enhancement of Rule 70, of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which is part of international law; the body of rules governing relations between Nation States.

iii) War propaganda must be banned – EVERWHERE – schools, media, governments…under application of existing international laws (1992).

iv) UN-organized (type UNWRA) food and medical assistance to war-suffering populations, as well as UNHCR-facilitated repatriation of refugees.

v) Lifting of and banning ALL sanctions worldwide. Sanctions are weaponized trade and travel restrictions. Sanctions violate the rules of International Law (see 1, above).

vi) (a) Setting up a War Crimes Tribunal for prosecuting war criminals, and (b) no immunity for war crimes for ANYBODY, including politicians.

vii) Establishment of a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” – like others created in conflict areas, to reconcile grievances.

viii) Abolish NATO and its sub-organizations. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created in 1949 in Washington DC, with the US, Canada, and several European countries to provide collective security against the western “perceived” threat from the Soviet Union. At best, NATO could be justified during the post-WWII, as counterpart of the USSR-established Warshaw Pact, until 1991, when the Soviet Union was collapsed, and the Warshaw Pact dissolved.

After this date, the continuation of NATO cannot be justified by any means. Therefore, NATO has become and acts like a western war-driving machine, an aggressor, not a defense organization. NATO has long ago trespassed its transatlantic borders, as it creates conflicts and aggression around the world with impunity.

ix) Working out an economic- and monetary system, which enhances PEACE instead of WARS. Remember – “WAR is a racket.” – see above, by Smedley D. Butler.
 

x) [Foreign] land grabbing must be prohibited. A new sovereign Ukraine belongs to the free and sovereign Ukrainian population.

xi) Environmental protection: The 2015 Paris Environment / Climate Accord, in a semi-clandestine rule, exempts CO2 exhausts and other pollutants from military (and four other economic sectors) to be considered in the Accord’s targets. War and other military / conflict activities are arguably by far the largest the world’s polluters and creators of greenhouse gases. So, this rule must be brought to light and abandoned.

If the thus revised environment and climate rules would apply, wars would disappear.

xii) Germany and most European countries are by their Constitution prohibited to associate with NAZI-Regimes. Germany, as of this date, has no Peace Agreement with the Allies after WWII, but is still an occupied country under an Armistice Agreement. Germany has therefore no Constitution per se, but a “Grundgesetz” – a national Basic Law which bans Germany from associating locally and internationally with Nazism.
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This list of suggestions for enhancement of lasting Peace, may not be complete, and the items may not appear in order of priority. Some of them appear as repetitions of points mentioned for a Ukraine-Russia Peace Agreement. They are merely an enhancement of these Peace conditions.

It is the Mutual Peace Engagement – Conference’s believe that adhering to the Peace Agreement Conditions, and the suggested enhancement rules – might lead to a lasting Peace.
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Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he worked for over 30 years around the world. He is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed; and  co-author of Cynthia McKinney’s book “When China Sneezes: From the Coronavirus Lockdown to the Global Politico-Economic Crisis” (Clarity Press – November 1, 2020)

Peter is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).
He is also a non-resident Senior Fellow of the Chongyang Institute of Renmin University, Beijing.