ST. PETERSBURG, June 7. /TASS/. Moscow welcomes the position of China and other Asian nations who refused to take part in a conference on Ukraine in Switzerland, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin told TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"The list (of participants in the Ukraine conference - TASS) is floating. Some say they will not [participate], while others say they will; many say they have issues neither with Ukraine nor with Russia. We will see what happens eventually. We appreciate that China has refused to participate," Pankin pointed out. "We are working with Asian countries to make it clear that except for the infamous Zelensky formula, all issues on the agenda of the conference, including those related to nuclear, energy and food security, can be discussed on global platforms," he added.

According to the diplomat, all countries are present on these platforms and no one is left out. "This is why the upcoming conference is flawed," Pankin noted.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is being held on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.