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Russia won’t attend Swiss conference on Ukraine — top diplomat

According to Ignazio Cassis, the issue of Belarus' participation in the event was "not central" to the discussions, but was "closely linked" to Russia

GENEVA, April 10. /TASS/. Russia will not take part in the conference on the so-called Ukrainian peace formula to be held in the Burgenstock area in June 2024, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said, emphasizing that no peace settlement can take place without Moscow.

"The first country we talked to after Ukraine was, of course, Russia. Because no peace process can take place without Russia, even if it won't be present at the first meeting," he said at a press conference. AFP quotes the top diplomat as saying that "the arrival [of Russian representatives] to the conference is not planned."

According to the foreign minister, the issue of Belarus' participation in the event was "not central" to the discussions, but was "closely linked" to Russia. The US, for its part, confirmed its participation in the conference.

Swiss President Viola Amherd pointed out that she had already informed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. She alleged that the goal of the conference was "to find ways to start the negotiating process." Switzerland intends to engage "as many countries as possible" from different regions of the world that could present their vision of how the settlement process should be conducted.

According to the Swissinfo news outlet, the conference will be held June 15-16 at a hotel in the Burgenstock resort near Lake Lucerne.

Amherd said after a meeting with Zelensky on January 15 that the Ukrainian president asked Switzerland to organize a high-level peace conference. 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.

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