Russia refuses to attend peace conference in Switzerland

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow has no intention of participating in a Swiss-organized peace conference on the conflict in Ukraine, even if officially invited.

Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Photo: SPUTNIK

The official response comes after recent media reports that China and Switzerland are trying to invite Russia to the talks. Switzerland announced plans last month to host a peace summit in the summer. No date has been set yet, and the list of participating countries has not been revealed. However, Ukraine has said that Russia can only be invited if it agrees to a series of preconditions.

According to Russia Today, Ms. Maria Zakharova accused this forum will be dedicated only to promoting the "Zelensky (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky) peace formula". Ms. Zakharova explained that Mr. Zelensky's plan includes a number of unrealistic provisions such as: withdrawing Russian troops to the Ukrainian border in 1991, forcing Moscow to take responsibility and pay compensation, as well as provisions on food, nuclear safety, energy, ecology and humanitarian issues.

According to Ms. Zakharova, Kiev's basic demands remain unchanged, while Russia's legitimate interests are being ignored. "Therefore, the upcoming conference is a continuation of the old, discredited and dead-end peace talks," Ms. Maria Zakharova said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman asserted that Moscow is convinced that “Switzerland can hardly serve as a platform for various peacekeeping efforts, as this requires a neutral position that Bern has lost.”

Peace talks between Moscow and Kiev were set for spring 2022, but collapsed as both sides accused each other of making unrealistic demands. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian delegation initially agreed to some of Russia's terms during talks in Istanbul in March of that year, but then abruptly walked away from the deal. The Kremlin has repeatedly stressed that it remains open to meaningful discussions and blamed the Ukrainian authorities for a lack of diplomatic breakthroughs.

KHANH MINH

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