Switzerland names date for 'peace summit' on Ukraine. Russia says it won't attend 'even if invited'

The Swiss government has announced a date for an international conference aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine. The summit will take place on June 15-16 in the resort of Bürgenstock near Lucerne, Reuters reports .

Switzerland and Ukraine agreed to prepare the “peace summit” at the request of Volodymyr Zelensky in January 2024. Since then, the host country has held talks with EU members, the G7 and major powers such as China and India to assess their interest in participating.

In the next few days, the Swiss government intends to send out invitations to a “peace summit” to more than 100 countries, including Russia, writes local publication NZZ.

The Russian Embassy in Switzerland has already responded that the Russian side “will not accept an invitation to such an event even if it receives one.”

"Our position is well known. The idea of ​​a 'peace conference', which is being vigorously promoted by the organizers, is unacceptable to us, since it is yet another way of pushing through an unviable 'peace formula' , which is a set of ultimatums addressed to Russia and does not take into account the interests of our country's national security. Ultimatums cannot serve as a basis for starting negotiations," the Russian diplomatic mission said in a statement.

The Ukrainian President, in an interview with the Axel Springer SE publishing group, said that Russia would not be at the summit, "because we need them not to block anything." Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the discussions at the conference in Switzerland would be based on a "peace formula." He admitted that some points of the plan "with details of what to do" would be ready following the summit, and after that the entire plan would be prepared.

"Of course, some parties to the negotiations, some representatives of the continents will present this plan to Russian representatives. But only after we come to a common opinion, form a common point of view of countries that really want peace. Not just talk, but real peace," Ukrayinska Pravda quotes Zelensky as saying.