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Switzerland aims to host a global peace summit on Russia's war against Ukraine in mid-June, with 80-100 countries invited to attend, Bloomberg reported on April 8, citing people familiar with the matter.
The participants are expected to discuss Kyiv's 10-point peace formula and create a joint document on what needs to be done to restore Ukraine's sovereignty.
The peace plan envisages withdrawing all Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine, the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, the release of all prisoners of war and deportees, preventing ecocide in Ukraine, and punishing those responsible for war crimes.
The proposal also calls for ensuring energy security, food security, and nuclear safety. Moscow has rejected this proposal and said it would not attend the upcoming summit in Switzerland even if invited.
The conference may take place on June 16-17 in Lucerne, unnamed sources told Bloomberg. A spokesperson for the Swiss Foreign Ministry told the media outlet that the date and location of the event were not yet set.
It is also still unclear how many leaders will be present at the summit, with the main question being whether China will participate, the sources said. Beijing attended only one out of four meetings on the level of national advisors organized by Ukraine to gather support for its peace formula.
Andreas Umland
Ukraine is keeping diplomatic channels with China open, even though Beijing has maintained close ties with Moscow during the war. Western officials have urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to help end the war.
"In addition to the perspectives of Ukraine, Russia, and Europe, it is also important to listen to the Global South, which will play a key role in the eventual inclusion of Russia in the process," the Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Bloomberg.
"That is why we are in close contact with China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Saudi Arabia."
According to Bloomberg, several countries have called to invite Russia to the first round of global talks. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in March that Kyiv wants to have a broad agreement on the key principles that will underpin any future settlement before engaging with Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published earlier on March 13 that it was "ridiculous" to start negotiations with Ukraine just because Kyiv is facing an increasingly critical ammunition shortage.
