The conflict in Ukraine should be resolved with the involvement of Russia, the EU and the United States and the provision of the country with international guarantees of security and sovereignty in exchange for Kyiv's military non-alignment policy, following the example of Finland, Sweden or Switzerland, according to business leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Europe and the United States.
According to a report posted on the Web site of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Sept. 15, at a meeting initiated by WEF founder Klaus Schwab on Sept. 14, ten proposals were prepared to resolve the conflict.
Those who signed the document include 14 businessmen and two WEF executives, in particular, the heads of Rossnano, Sberbank, VTB Bank and Severstal, CEO of Horizon Capital Natalie Jaresko, Head of Donetsk Regional State Administration Serhiy Taruta, EastOne Group owner Victor Pinchuk, KM Core CEO Evgeny Utkin, as well as the chiefs of BASF, EY, PepsiCo, Alcoa, Siemens and the European Investment Bank.
Businessmen find it useful for Ukraine to coordinate and establish special association and trade agreements with the European Union and Russia, and later possibly with the Eurasian Economic Community. They proposed identifying how sanctions and counter-sanctions can be avoided and rolled-back in accordance with key milestones achieved in the process of reconciliation and putting in place an economic recovery plan which addresses the devastation created by the conflict, the need for humanitarian assistance and the rehabilitation of infrastructure required and establish for this a multi-stakeholder process and encourage all actors, particularly business, to jointly invest.
Businessmen supported a 12-point Minsk ceasefire plan and a temporary security system in the territory of the conflict under the oversight of the OSCE and urged to refrain from using provocative and belligerent language, intensify national dialogue in Ukraine, ensure decentralization of power, and guarantee the rights of minorities, including language rights.
The meeting participants suggested organizing a summit for the top political leaders from Europe and European countries involved, Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Geneva within a short timeframe to advance the reconciliation process.
