GENEVA (Sputnik) – Switzerland believes that Russia needs to be involved in the Ukraine peace process, as reaching peace without Moscow is impossible, Foreign Ministry spokesman Pierre-Alain Elchinger told Sputnik on Monday.
«After more than two years of war, it is necessary to try to begin the process of establishing peace in Ukraine. Switzerland is convinced that Russia should be involved in this process. A peace process without Russia is unthinkable. By organizing this first conference, Switzerland is doing its part to support discussions aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The alternative would be to do nothing, and this is not an option for Switzerland,» the spokesman said.
Switzerland will host the high-level conference on Ukrainian peace at the Buergenstock resort outside of Lucerne from June 15–16. The event is expected to bring together more than 160 delegations from around the world. Russia is not on the guest list. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the peace conference is clearly not result-oriented, as it is impossible to have effective talks on Ukraine without Russia’s participation.
