NEW YORK, April 8. /TASS/. Switzerland could host a conference to discuss the so-called Ukraine "peace formula" from June 16-17, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.
It is unclear what will be the format for representatives of dozens of countries to attend the event, according to the report. Bloomberg said the conference could be attended by delegations from 80 to 100 countries, mostly from the so-called Global South. It’s unclear whether China will participate, according to Bloomberg.
"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," a spokesperson for the Swiss Foreign Ministry said. "That is why we are in close contact with China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Saudi Arabia."
The date and place of the conference haven’t been set yet, according to the spokesperson. Other sources told Bloomberg that the event may take place not in Bern, as previously reported, but in Lucerne. According to the report, Switzerland could make an official statement about the conference on April 10.
Swiss President Viola Amherd said after a meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky on January 15 that he had asked her country to arrange a summit on the so-called peace formula in Bern. Russian ambassador to Switzerland Sergey Garmonin commented on the idea by telling the SonntagsZeitung newspaper that it is doomed to failure in its current form. That’s because it seeks to impose a "peace formula," "which is a set of ultimatums to Russia." He also insisted that without Russia, a "peace summit" would mean just another round of fruitless consultations.
Bloomberg earlier reported, citing Swiss Federal Councilor for Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis, that the country had offered China to take part in the summit on the Ukrainian "peace formula" in Bern. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin did not confirm that China will participate, saying that China would facilitate the peace process in its own way.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the West was using primitive and fraudulent tricks to lure the countries, which make up the global majority, to the peace conference.