Switzerland had already announced last January that it would organize such a summit at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Swiss government has now announced that the summit will be held on June 15-16 in the Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne. There will be sufficient international support for this. Swiss President Viola Amherd considers the summit a “first step” toward peace, but admits that no peace plan will be signed. She hopes to hold a second conference.
neutral
Russia spoke out against the summit earlier this year, and has now expressed its criticism again. According to the official TASS news agency, the Russian Foreign Ministry describes it as a pointless initiative by the US Democratic Party in the run-up to the presidential elections later this year. Democrats would like to demonstrate with pictures and videos that the “Ukraine Project” still exists.
Russia has announced that it is not against peace negotiations. But officials from that country refuse to participate in the talks in Switzerland because they believe that this country is not neutral in the conflict. The Swiss usually remain neutral in international conflicts, but now they are joining Western sanctions against Russia.
Joe Biden
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis believes it is important to include Russia in future talks. He assured reporters that “the peace process cannot take place without Russia, even if it was not present at the first meeting.”
It is not yet clear which parties will participate in the summit. Swiss media wrote that US President Joe Biden is expected to arrive. Although the US has not officially confirmed this yet. Invitations will be sent in the coming days.
Zombie specialist. Friendly twitter guru. Internet buff. Organizer. Coffee trailblazer. Lifelong problem solver. Certified travel enthusiast. Alcohol geek.