Even if Biden does not attend the Peace Summit, it will not change the format or effectiveness — international expert

It is still unclear whether Joe Biden will attend the Peace Summit in Switzerland. In Singapore, Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, but no specifics have emerged about the U.S. leader’s presence or absence at the Summit. What will this presence depend on, and should we hope for it if it has not yet been confirmed?

This was discussed on Hromadske Radio with Bohdan Ferens, an international expert and founder of the social and democratic platform Platforma.

«I think we are working to ensure that as many countries as possible are represented at the highest level [at the Peace Summit – ed], and the United States is our key partner. It is really important that this country is represented at the highest level, which will maximize the status of this Summit. However, there are indeed internal contexts, primarily the U.S. elections, which affect the situation and the adoption of certain decisions.»

However, Ferens believes that given the G7 summit is also geographically «not so far away,» «we can be cautiously optimistic» and hope that the final decision on attendance will be made at this summit.

«Sometimes unannounced visits are still taking place and are effective.»

At the same time, if Biden does not attend the Peace Summit, the international expert believes this will not radically change the format of the discussion or the effectiveness of the event:

«Because, hopefully, there will still be high-level U.S. representation.»