The Swiss government has announced it will hold a two-day high-level meeting in June to promote peace in Ukraine.
Switzerland said in January that it will hold a peace summit at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and has since undertaken negotiations with the EU, G7 member states, and countries such as China and India to gauge interest in participating.
The conference will be held June 15-16 at the Bürgenstock resort in the canton of Nidwalden outside the city of Lucerne. It will aim to create a framework favourable to a comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine, as well as “a concrete roadmap for Russia’s participation in the peace process”.
While Moscow has said it is not against negotiations to end the war, Russian officials have said they will not take part in talks in Switzerland, a country they consider to have relinquished its neutrality with regard to the conflict.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has said the Swiss initiative is pointless without Moscow’s participation.
China, a Moscow ally, said last month it would consider taking part in the conference.
