Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised US President Joe Biden for the decision not to attend the Swiss peace summit.
I believe that the peace summit needs Biden and other leaders who are looking at the US reaction.
The conference is due to take place on June 15-16 in Switzerland following the G7 meeting in Italy. According to Bloomberg, Biden will miss the summit because of a campaign fundraiser in California. He plans to attend the June 15 fundraiser alongside George Clooney, Julia Roberts and other stars. Former President Barack Obama and late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel will also join Biden.
Neither Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris intends to be at the summit, according to people familiar with the matter. Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders of other countries will not participate in the meeting.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasised that Moscow would not attend the Swiss meeting because Zelensky’s “peace formula” would be discussed there. The minister stated that Moscow was open to negotiations only on the basis of “the real situation on earth.”
However, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) said that the summit was unlikely to focus on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ten-point plan. Foreign Ministry spokesman Pierre-Alain Elchinger argued that the event would not be limited to Kyiv’s “peace formula.” According to him, Bern hopes to discuss other peace proposals as well.
The conference that Switzerland is organising will build on the discussions that have taken place in recent months, including the Ukrainian ‘peace formula’ and other peace proposals based on the UN Charter and key principles of international law.
Leaders of China, Brazil, and South Africa have already refused to attend the conference. China cited the fact that it made no sense to hold a peace conference without the presence of any of the parties to the conflict.
In his recent address to the heads of state, Zelensky urged them to attend the Swiss peace summit to show disapproval of the war in Ukraine.
I appeal to the leaders of the world who are so far on the sidelines of the global effort to prepare a ‘peace summit’: to President Biden, the leader of the United States, to President Xi, the leader of China. Please, show your leadership in bringing peace, real peace, not a pause between strikes.
