BERN, June 10. /TASS/. Switzerland is maintaining diplomatic contacts with Russia on issues concerning preparations for the conference on Ukraine due to be held in Burgenstock on June 15-16, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told a news conference.

"We maintain regular contacts between our ambassador to Moscow and the Russian foreign ministry and we continue informing it about the preparations [for the conference in Burgenstock]," he said in response to a question from TASS. "We have done everything we could to have Russia aboard."

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said earlier that it had invited more than 160 delegations, including from the Group of Seven, Group of Twenty, and BRICS nations, to the conference on Ukraine in Burgenstock on June 15 and 16. Russia, according to Switzerland’s authorities, is not among those invited.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed earlier that Russia would not be begging to be invited to the conference if it is unwelcome. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, this conference is a "road to nowhere." Moscow, however, has repeatedly emphasized that it doesn’t reject the idea of a peaceful resolution of the conflict with Ukraine.