Nairobi — President William Ruto held a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Saturday evening, on the sidelines of the peace summit in Switzerland.
During the meeting, President Zelensky reaffirmed Ukraine's desire for peace and expressed his openness to involve all parties in the search for a just and sustainable resolution.
President Ruto reiterated Kenya's firm stance on the principles of equality of nations, the inviolability of territorial borders, the peaceful settlement of conflicts, and adherence to the rule of law.
He emphasized the urgent need for all parties to commit to a path to peace, noting the adverse global consequences of the war in Ukraine
The summit, held in the secluded spot of Bürgenstock, has attracted more than 90 countries and global institutions, making it the largest gathering for Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began. However, Russia was not invited, and China, a key ally of Russia, is not attending, leading to tempered expectations of significant progress at this stage.
Despite this, Ukraine views the summit as a success due to its global reach and the number of countries represented. President Zelensky stated that Ukraine wants to "give diplomacy a chance" and demonstrate that joint efforts can stop wars.
The Swiss summit follows the agreement by G7 leaders to use interest from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine defend itself against the ongoing invasion. Approximately $325 billion in assets were frozen by G7 countries and the EU after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The interest generated from these assets, amounting to about $3 billion annually, will be used to pay off the interest on a $50 billion loan for Ukraine, taken out on the international markets.
While the money from the G7 plan is not expected to arrive until the end of the year, it is seen as a longer-term solution to support Ukraine's war effort and economy. In the immediate term, Ukraine has emphasized its urgent need for more weapons, primarily air defense systems to counter Russia's missile and drone attacks, as well as F-16 fighter jets, which it hopes to start receiving as early as this summer.
