Swiss summit on Ukraine ‘absolutely futile’ – Kremlin

Holding peace negotiations without Russia is absurd, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told RT

The upcoming Swiss-hosted peace conference on the Ukraine conflict is “absolutely futile” in terms of finding ways to resolve the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RT on Tuesday.

The summit, scheduled for June 15-16 at the Burgenstock Resort near Lucerne, is expected to revolve around Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s proposed roadmap for ending the conflict with Russia. More than 160 countries have been invited to take part, including members of the G7, G20, BRICS, and the EU. Russia, however, has not been invited to the talks.

“From our point of view, this conference is completely without prospects … because getting together and seriously discussing the Ukraine conflict without our [Russia’s] participation is absurd,” Peskov told RT’s correspondent, adding that at this point, the West has decided to engage in such “absurd things.”

Moscow has previously called the proposed conference “pointless” and said it would not participate, even if invited. Ukraine has indicated that Russia would only be invited if it agreed to a litany of preconditions, which the Kremlin has panned as unrealistic.

Zelensky’s roadmap to resolving the crisis, which he has been promoting since 2022, calls for a complete withdrawal of Russian forces from all territories Ukraine considers its own, for Moscow to pay reparations, and for a war crimes tribunal. The Kremlin has rejected the proposals as “unrealistic” and a sign of Kiev’s unwillingness to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Moscow has maintained that it remains open to discussions but has said it will not accept a deal that ignores its national interests.

In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin mocked the planned conference, saying Moscow is ready for a diplomatic solution but that holding negotiations without it is “nonsense.”

According to media reports, the leaders of some BRICS countries, particularly Brazil and South Africa, will not attend the upcoming event. China is another major BRICS member which will presumably ignore the Swiss meeting, according to Yury Ushakov, assistant to the Russian president for international affairs.

China has previously stressed that discussions of a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict must inevitably involve Russia.

US President Joe Biden is reportedly also planning to skip the Swiss conference for a Hollywood fundraiser event.

Peskov also dismissed reports on the possibility of a peace conference in Saudi Arabia, describing them as “hypothetical rhetoric.” On Monday, Bloomberg cited EU officials as saying that the bloc is attempting to arrange a meeting in Saudi Arabia this coming fall with the participation of Russia.