This weekend, a secluded Swiss resort overlooking Lake Lucerne will transform as dozens of world leaders and thousands of soldiers and police converge on Bürgenstock. Representatives from more than 90 countries and global institutions will attend the event, aiming to discuss foundational principles for ending the conflict in Ukraine. Swiss organizers hope the summit might produce the first tentative outlines for a peace process, 28 months after Russia’s invasion.

This gathering marks the largest for Ukraine since the full-scale invasion. However, with significant players like China absent and Russian President Vladimir Putin issuing a new ultimatum—demanding Ukraine’s surrender and calling it a peace proposal—expectations for substantial progress are low. Russia has not been invited to the summit.

For Ukraine, the mere occurrence of this meeting is a positive sign. Politicians in Kyiv are celebrating every confirmed participant as a gesture of support, hoping the summit will demonstrate to Moscow that the world stands with Ukraine and upholds international law.

The summit arrives at a challenging moment for Ukraine. A new Russian offensive is underway in the northeast near Kharkiv, and missiles are striking homes and power plants across the country with renewed intensity.

The size of the summit is crucial, but so is its substance. “It’s important to establish a political and legal framework for future peace. To show that peace can only be achieved within the framework of Zelensky’s 10 points,” explains Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko from Kyiv. “That includes the territorial integrity of Ukraine and its sovereignty.”

Merezhko refers to a peace plan proposed by President Zelensky in late 2022, which demands that Russia return all occupied territories.

Ukraine aims to garner as much international support as possible for its peace formula, hoping to exert “psychological pressure” on Russia to accept these terms if it reaches that stage. However, this seems improbable at present.

The summit was initially proposed when the battlefield situation appeared more favorable for Kyiv, a prime opportunity to influence the terms of any future peace agreement. Since then, the dynamics have changed.