It can never be said enough: Ukraine is very grateful for all the support that its friends in Oceania have shown as we defend ourselves against an illegal and brutal invasion by a regional bully.

Support from nations such as Samoa is much appreciated. Namely, when Samoans show solidarity with Ukraine, it both increases our morale and underlines the moral argument against a bloody war in which Ukrainian civilians are killed in Russian terror strikes every day, including during the recent Easter.

Ukrainians take great heart from the fact that many Samoans – some 15,000 kilometers away – have stood with them in their time of need. It amazes Ukrainians that they have found such great friends so far away, the people of the Pacific region, yet so close in the way we value human life and our shared ideals.

When more than 10,000 aerial attacks have been launched against one’s home in 2024 alone, there is comfort and hope in knowing the world stands by us.

And, it’s also the case that Ukrainians know that participation by Samoa and other Oceania nations in the global coalition in support of Ukraine – together with our friends in North America, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere - greatly contributes to the scope, resolve and effectiveness of the international community’s stance against the malicious actor that Russia has become.

It’s in this context that we now ask Samoa to further step up and stand with Ukraine. This is especially so because we need the voice of smaller nations – and the leaders among them – to say yes to the importance of the global rules-based order and no to coercion and bullying by larger countries, including at the regional level.

Samoa brings credit and impact to the table that exceeds its size.

It’s precisely at a new table where we now need Samoa and its positive contributions – the table where the path to a just peace in Ukraine can begin as well as the path to restoring the full force of the UN Charter and international law protecting all peace-loving nations.

To be clear, Ukraine will continue to defend itself against Russian aggression along a 1200-kilometer-long front with every available resources. We fight on because Russia shows no signs of willingness to achieve peace, but instead continues its barbaric attacks. Furthermore, Ukrainians in Russian-held territory are subject to occupation and active oppression of their rights.

We have, however, always been prepared to seek a just end to this unjust war by diplomatic means. No other country wants peace more than Ukraine.

During a joint press conference of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of Switzerland Viola Amherd in January, it was announced that agreement was reached on the organisation of a global Peace Summit on the level of the leaders of the state and governments in Switzerland in June.

This Peace Summit will build on discussions that have now taken place over the past months between national security advisers in Copenhagen, Jeddah, Malta and Davos. The latter meeting had the participation of 82 delegations, and more than 150 countries have been invited to the Summit.

The aim of the Peace Summit is to give a high-level political start to an agreed peace plan that ends the war and restores a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

The Peace Summit will be an opportunity for global leaders to show unity around key principles: the sanctity of peace, respect for existing borders, and the force of international law prevailing over the law of force.

It is also hoped to agree to key elements:   

•             the inadmissibility of the use of nuclear weapons and ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities;

•             free navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov as part of global food security, and;

•             the exchange of prisoners and returning to Ukraine of illegally detained, deported and displaced persons, including at least 20,000 children.

The agreed peace plan will be presented to the Russian Federation, as the aggressor must negotiate on the world’s terms and not the other way around.

We ask Samoa to be at the Peace Summit together with global leaders and we strongly hope that its leaders it can be represented there.

Yes, it is a crucial milestone with regard to the war on my country. But it is more than that. It is the historic moment when leaders will come together in a united global strategy for a just future rather than a future forged by the fist of a dictator.

The Peace Summit is when those who support a rules-based order stand together against a rogue-based order. It is when smaller nations show their resolve to resist bullies and neo-colonialism.

Samoa is a positive and productive citizen of the world in a way that Ukraine aspires to be and Samoans are known to always give a helping hand.

That helping hand – and clear and consistent voice in favour of our common values – will be most welcome and most appreciated in Switzerland in June.

Dmytro Kuleba is Ukraine's Foreign Minister.