YEKATERINBURG, April 16. /TASS/. The meeting planned for June in Switzerland will not help solve the situation around Ukraine, intensive "work behind the scenes" is needed, Karin Kneissl, former Austrian foreign minister and head the Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues (GORKI), a research center at St. Petersburg State University, told reporters.

"I don't see anything in this meeting that could solve the situation in Ukraine, because if you really want to solve the problems of military actions, both in Ukraine and in the Middle East, you can't just do it at such summits and some one-day public discussions that are in reality held for the sake of a photo. There has to be painstaking work from behind the scenes that is not seen or known, then it makes sense. Russia is not invited, <...> I don't see any significance in this event," Kneissl said in response to a question from TASS.

Earlier, Swiss President Viola Amherd said that the country would hold a conference on the so-called Ukrainian peace formula in June in the Burgenstock area. The Russian embassy in Bern confirmed that "the Swiss authorities have not sent Russia an invitation to the conference in Burgenstock." According to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, negotiations on Ukraine without Russia are meaningless and essentially a "wasted process."