BEFORE it even began, it was clear that the recent two-day summit in Stansstad, Switzerland, on “peace in Ukraine” would not — and could not — succeed in moving towards a settlement that would end the decade-long conflict, even if that had ever been a serious intention.

Sixty-eight of the countries invited, including China, declined to attend, leaving the US, Britain, the EU, Nato and their allies to dominate proceedings. Russia, one of the two protagonists, was excluded. Of those present, 12 refused to sign the final communique.

Significantly, these included Brazil, the Vatican City, South Africa and a number of developing countries. In the end, none of the Brics countries, neither the original five nor subsequent members, signed the final document.

Rather than advancing the cause of peace, the summit in fact placed a barrier to any serious negotiations by setting preconditions to talks that Russia could not possibly meet. This left some political observers in Switzerland in no doubt that this was “not a real peace conference but a meeting to reorganise support for Ukraine.”

At the same time, Russia has also placed prerequisites on Ukraine to which the latter cannot agree, thus precluding it from the peace table.

Continuance of the war, at which the project was clearly aimed, will only wreak more suffering, death and destruction on the people of Ukraine and risk a massive escalation, both in the intensity and scale of the conflict.

A huge fear is that the war will spill into neighbouring countries, risking a catastrophic regional and possibly global conflagration. The only ones to gain from this are those trying to secure imperialist hegemony in this strategic area and the multinational military-industrial complexes which are raking in billions as the West pours arms into Ukraine.

A British government research briefing published in May this year defines Britain as “one of the leading military donors to Ukraine, alongside the US and Germany,” and confirms that it is providing “both lethal and non-lethal weaponry and equipment” — tanks, air defence systems and cruise missiles.

These arms shipments, says the report, are “gifted” to the Ukrainian military, after being “rapidly purchased from the defence industry in both Britain and overseas,” as well as being purchased from foreign governments or taken from Ministry of Defence stockpiles at home.

In fact, Britain has already committed £7.6 billion in “defence” to Ukraine since February 2022, and more is on its way. And all the while our public services are starved out of existence and the needs of workers and communities are ignored. In the US it is the same story. A $61bn package has been agreed for Ukraine while US workers and their families face destitution.

The unwavering commitment of the West to war in Ukraine shows up the summit in Switzerland for the sham it was. No wonder some are saying that the role of the meeting was purely to set the agenda for a very lucrative “everlasting war” under the guise of taking the first small steps to peace. We should not be deceived.

It is in this context that we must view the “demand” of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign (USC) that Britain should send even more weapons to the military of the war-torn country in order for it, quite literally, to fight to the death. At the same time, the USC argues, other international allies will be encouraged to do likewise.

The solidarity organisation claims that a further massive injection of arms to the ultra-nationalist government of Ukraine and its armed forces will somehow be in the interest of “free and independent” trade unions in Ukraine. This cannot be the case. It is impossible to find any way that continuing the war will ever achieve a just and lasting peace.

The reality is that there are only two ways in which the Ukraine war can end — around a negotiating table, sooner or later, or in nuclear destruction.

To make the latter impossible, we have to fight for the former: a negotiated peace, without delay. This means ensuring that the warzone is extended no further and that the battlegrounds are demilitarised. It means an immediate ceasefire and the coming together of warring parties around the negotiating table. There is no other way.