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Russia blackmailing some leaders ahead of Ukraine's peace summit, Zelensky says

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Russia blackmailing some leaders ahead of Ukraine's peace summit, Zelensky says
Zelensky visits media on December 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

Russia continues its attempts to disrupt Ukraine's peace summit next month, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 31 during the joint press conference of the Nordic-Ukrainian summit's participants in Stockholm.

The global peace summit will be held on June 15-16 in the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland.

"Our diplomacy must be as effective as our weapons. The most important thing right now is the peace summit. It should become a truly global summit," Zelensky said.

"At this moment, we already have about 100 states and international organizations that will participate in the summit, but Russia is blackmailing some leaders and trying to block the participation of some countries."

The president said that Kyiv is still waiting for the responses from some of the partners.

"Today, we discussed how we can strengthen our peace efforts together," he added.

Zelensky previously ruled out Russia's participation in the event, as it continues to attack Ukraine on a daily basis.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to disrupt the upcoming summit.

"Putin is desperately trying to derail the peace summit in Switzerland on June 15–16. He is scared of its success," Kuleba wrote on X.

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said that Moscow has to be at a peace summit "sooner or later," even if it does not attend its first meeting.

China won’t attend Ukraine’s global peace summit, Reuters reports
One source said China had insisted the summit should be recognised by both Russia and Ukraine and both countries should participate.
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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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