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Senior Russian senator expects participants in Swiss summit to reject Zelensky’s proposals

Konstantin Kosachev expressed hope that countries to attend the summit would be able to make it clear that any peace initiatives should be discussed with Moscow

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will fail to force his `war formula’ through at a summit in Switzerland next summer as the preconditions he insists on render the peace process impossible, said Federation Council (upper house of parliament, or "senate") Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev.

"Given the position of the Swiss leadership, the final wording will likely be more ambiguous. <…> As Zelensky has admitted candidly, he expects 80 to 100 countries to take part. <...>," the senior Russian senator said. ‘This is the number of countries <…> that will be able to try to at least force Russia to a just peace.’ Not the essence or the idea, but the number [of participating countries]," he wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that holding such a summit without Russia would be pointless.

Kosachev expressed hope that some countries to attend the summit would be able to make it clear to all participants that any peace initiatives should be discussed with Moscow.

On January 15, at a joint press conference with Zelensky, who arrived in Bern on a visit, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, said that the Ukrainian leader had asked Switzerland to organize a high-level peace conference on the Ukrainian "peace formula".

Commenting on this initiative, Russian Ambassador to Switzerland Sergey Garmonin told the Sonntags Zeitung newspaper that in its current form it is doomed to failure. This is primarily due to the desire to impose a "peace formula," "which is a set of ultimatums to Russia." He also explained that without Russia’s participation, a "peace summit" would mean just another round of fruitless consultations.