Burgenstock, Switzerland:

World leaders on Sunday backed Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity, and the need for eventual talks with Russia on ending the war — but left the key questions of how and when unresolved.

More than two years after Russia invaded, leaders and top officials from more than 90 states spent the weekend at a Swiss mountainside resort for a two-day summit dedicated to resolving the largest European conflict since World War II.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the diplomatic “success” of the event, to which Russia was not invited. The path was open for a second peace summit, with a view to ending the war with a just and lasting settlement, he added.

“Russia and their leadership are not ready for a just peace,” Zelensky told the closing news conference.

“Russia can start negotiations with us even tomorrow without waiting for anything — if they leave our legal territories.”

Moscow, meanwhile, doubled down on its demand for Kyiv’s effective surrender as a starting point for negotiations.

 ‘Challenging’ road ahead 

“Reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties,” said the summit’s final communique, backed by the vast majority of countries that attended the gathering at the Burgenstock complex overlooking Lake Lucerne.

The document also reaffirmed a commitment to the “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognised borders”.

Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the war was “inadmissible”, and food security “must not be weaponised”, it added.

The declaration also urged a full exchange of prisoners of war and the return to Ukraine of “all deported and unlawfully displaced children”, and other unlawfully detained Ukrainian civilians.

But not all attendees backed the joint communique. India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were among those who did not appear on a list of states endorsing it.

Pavan Kapoor, the head of India’s delegation to the summit, said New Delhi continued to believe that peace “requires bringing together all stakeholders and a sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict”.

While the declaration committed countries to taking “concrete steps… to further engagement of the representatives of all parties”, it was still not clear how Russia was to be brought into the process.

“The road ahead is long and challenging,” Swiss President Viola Amherd conceded.

Kremlin reiterates Putin call 

Posting on social media platform X, Zelensky wrote: “It’s important that all Summit participants supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity because there will be no lasting peace without it.”

But the summit came as Ukraine, outmanned and outgunned, is struggling on the battlefield.

Zelensky said the current level of Western military aid was not enough to ensure Kyiv wins the war.

“There is aid. There are serious packages. Is it enough to win? No. Is it late? Yes,” he told reporters.

On Friday, Putin demanded Kyiv’s effective surrender as a basis for peace talks.

His call for Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the south and east of the country, which Russia claims to have annexed, was widely dismissed at the summit.

The Kremlin nonetheless on Sunday insisted that Ukraine should “reflect” on Putin’s demands, citing the military situation on the ground.

“The current dynamic of the situation at the front shows us clearly that it’s continuing to worsen for the Ukrainians,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“It’s probable that a politician who puts the interests of his country above his own and those of his masters would reflect on such a proposal.”

Russia on Sunday claimed its troops had captured Zagrine village in southern Ukraine, continuing its progress on the front line.

Children, nuclear fears 

The Burgenstock talks were framed around areas of common ground between Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan presented in late 2022, and a 2023 UN resolution on the war that passed with the support of 141 countries.

Switzerland set a tight remit to try to garner the broadest support by sticking firmly to topics covered by international law and the United Nations Charter — and from there, sketch out a framework towards a lasting peace.

The summit focused on Sunday on food security and freedom of navigation on the Black Sea; nuclear safety and security to curb the risk of a disaster; and humanitarian issues including the return of deported children or the welfare of POWs.

Standing beside Zelensky, Chilean President Gabriel Boric told the closing press conference that the summit was not about NATO, left or right political convictions, or North versus South debates.

“This is about respect of international law and human rights as foundational principles of our living together. And this is applicable in Ukraine, in Gaza and in every other conflict in the world,” he said.

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo stressed the war’s impact on food exports from Ukraine and how the conflict had sent inflation soaring, harming living standards in some of the world’s poorest countries.

“The consequences of the invasion go far beyond the confines of Europe,” he said. “Indeed in many ways, Africa has been the greatest victim.”

Akufo-Addo said a method should be found whereby Russia and China join in the talks process “if we’re ever going to arrive at a definitive settlement”.

Zelensky called for Beijing, which refused to send a delegation to the summit due to Russia’s absence, to engage seriously with the developing peace proposals.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New York:

Diwali is a reminder for all to push away darkness and usher in light, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said, calling on people to embrace the spirit of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, and Mahatma Gandhi and be better human beings.

In his remarks at the annual Diwali celebration hosted at his New York residence, Gracie Mansion, on Tuesday, Adams asked people to embrace the endeavor to remove the darkness engulfing the world, which is witnessing the loss of innocent lives.

“Diwali is more than just a holiday. It is a reminder to all of us that we must push away the darkness wherever we see it and bring light. That is what the Festival of Lights is about,” Adams said.

At the annual celebration attended by hundreds of prominent members of the Indian-American and South Asian communities, as well as diaspora from other nationalities and government officials, Adams said that Diwali is more than lighting a candle or oil but about “lighting up our lives”.

We’re gearing up for the Festival of Lights! Join us LIVE at Gracie Mansion for our annual Diwali celebration with our Hindu New Yorkers: https://t.co/y6NnRxIDOM

— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) October 17, 2023

“There is so much darkness that we are seeing every day. So if we truly believe in the life of Ramayana, if we truly believe in the life of Sita, if we truly believe in the life of Gandhi, then we must continue Gandhi’s steps. We cannot only be worshippers; we must be practitioners,” he said.

Adams said that at a time when there is darkness all across the globe and the world is witnessing the loss of innocent lives, “we cannot continue to watch this engulf our future and engulf humanity.”

“Let’s be better human beings. Let’s live in the spirit of Diwali. Let’s live in the spirit of Gandhi. Let’s live in the spirit of Sita. Let’s live in the spirit of Ram, and then we will live up to the expectations of what this holiday really means,” he said.

New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, who led efforts to make Diwali a school holiday in New York City, said that the Indian-American community has never been as powerful as it is now.

“We are unstoppable, and we have arrived at the table of power in this state,” she said.

She added that with everything going on in the world, in the Middle East, where there is terrible violence, and amid the hatred and bigotry against different groups, “we are the ones that can lead the way to peace.

“Ours is the culture of Martin Luther King Jr, who was famously inspired by Gandhi,” Rajkumar said.

“We feel equally at home in a synagogue, in a mosque, or in a church because, as Hindus, we don’t just tolerate people that are different from us; we go one step further and actively love people that are different from us,” she said.

“So now it’s time to spread our beautiful Dharmic light across the city, the nation, the Middle East, and the entire world,” she added.

Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, Dilip Chauhan, urged people to spread love and peace in their communities and worldwide, emphasising that hate has no place in New York City or anywhere else.

Chauhan recalled the hard work and efforts of Indian-American community members and city and state officials over the last 20 years to make Diwali a public holiday in NYC schools.

He said that as Brooklyn Borough President, Adams had promised that when he became NYC Mayor, he would ensure that the sons and daughters of the Indian-American and Hindu communities do not have to go to school on the festival of Diwali.

“He has fulfilled his promise,” Chauhan said.

Rajkumar, too, underscored the support extended by Adams to ensure that Diwali is made a school holiday in the city from this year onwards and said, “He is the Ram of New York City. Like Ram, he leads when others do not, and he leads our city in confronting the evils” of poverty, hatred, antisemitism, Islamaphobia, and indifference.

“For all that he has done for our community, we all call him the Hindu mayor,” she said.

Adams said that Lord Ram was the power and force against evil, and he pushed to rid the entire globe of darkness.

He added that another significant part of the story of the Ramayana is Goddess Sita, a woman of strength and integrity.

“So as we move forward in a particularly male-dominated society, let’s not forget that we will never be able to defeat darkness if we do not acknowledge all the Sitas that are in the universe fighting on behalf of and side by side with us,” he said.

The mayor also recalled his trip to India, his visit to the home of Gandhi, and seeing the Mahatma’s steps permanently etched there.

“It is symbolic that a bullet took his life, but it is up to us to continue the journey,” Adams said.

On the occasion, the Mayor also honoured prominent members of the Indian-American and diaspora community for their achievements and exceptional contributions to the community.

The honourees were Grammy-nominated musician and renowned business leader Chandrika Tandon; geriatric psychiatrist and Executive Director of India Home, a centre for senior care, Dr Vasundhara Kalasapudi; Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) Chairman Nirmal Mattoo; Dr Hari Shukla; and musician Ustad Kamal Sabri.

Dharamshala:

The Dalai Lama on Saturday congratulated jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi on winning the Nobel Peace Prize and said the award was also in recognition of the vital role women play in people’s lives. Mohammadi, 51, was awarded the prize on Friday in recognition of her tireless campaigning for women’s rights and democracy and against the death penalty.

In a letter to her on Saturday, the Tibetan spiritual leader said, “Today, the values of democracy, transparency, respect for human rights, and equality are increasingly recognised on every side as universal values, which can only benefit us all.”

“I have met and held discussions with previous Nobel laureates, including your sometime colleague, Mrs. Shirin Ebadi. I admire their efforts to overcome discrimination against women and improve society in a peaceful way. I believe that the award of this Nobel Peace Prize is also in recognition of the vital role women play in the lives of us all from the very day we are born,” the Dalai Lama wrote.

He said there is a growing desire for change in the world, a change that will see conflicts resolved through dialogue and non-violence.

“The foundation of such change will be kindness, compassion and human responsibility. I believe that this goal can be achieved through education based on a deeper appreciation of the oneness of humanity. Because we are so interconnected, this is a question of the well-being of us all,” he wrote.