India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, all of whom have important trading relationships with Russia as members of the BRICS economic group, attended the weekend meeting but did not agree to sign the joint statement.
The document reaffirmed the signatories commitment to “refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognized borders.”
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists at a news conference alongside the leaders of the European Union, Ghana, Canada, Chile and Switzerland that it was “important that all participants of this summit support this Ukraine’s territorial integrity because there is will be no lasting peace without territorial integrity.”