Media: 50 states confirm participation in Ukraine's peace summit in Switzerland
Fifty countries have confirmed their participation in the global peace summit as of May 15, the Swiss public radio RTS reported.
The summit will be held in Switzerland on June 15-16 and will focus on peace in Ukraine under the terms of President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point peace formula, a plan that calls for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
Participants of the global peace summit will formulate a common negotiating position on the outcome of the war and submit it to Russia, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov said on May 3, according to Deutsche Welle.
"We're working intensively on the diplomatic front to convince those who haven't yet announced their participation," Nicolas Bideau, head of communications at the Swiss Foreign Ministry, told Swiss public radio RTS.
Bideau said that "major European countries" would be present at the summit, but the organizers are also looking for a larger "North-South representation" to carry out an open discussion on "all the possibilities and reflections for peace in Ukraine."
Sign up for our newsletter
Ukraine Weekly By Olga Rudenko
According to RTS, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, the spokesperson of European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the participants.
Bideau said Switzerland did not invite Russia, as "it keeps saying that it is not interested."
"We will not make peace, as such, at Burgenstock (in Switzerland), but we would really like to launch a process that involves Russia. That is why we are staying in contact with it," Bideau added.
Zelensky previously ruled out Russia's participation in the event, as it continues to attack Ukraine on a daily basis.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said that Moscow has to be at a peace summit "sooner or later," even if it does not attend its first meeting.
Read also: Zelensky: Russia planning to disrupt global peace summit in Switzerland
We’ve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
