West Won’t Host Next Ukraine ‘Peace Conference’: Switzerland

The next conference on the Ukraine conflict will not take place in the West, Swiss Ambassador Gabriel Luechinger stated.

The senior diplomat, who helped organize last weekend’s gathering at Switzerland’s Burgenstock Resort, indicated that discussions with potential hosts are already underway, RT reported.

In the run-up to the event, a number of nations declined to attend, with China announcing that it would not be sending representatives to Switzerland. Beijing argued that the absence of Russia at the conference would make any attempts at peace futile – an assertion echoed by several countries.

Moscow stated in March that it would not attend even if invited, as it would likely be based on Vladimir Zelensky’s ‘peace formula’, which Russia considers to be unrealistic and an ultimatum.

In an interview with Swiss broadcaster SRF on Monday, Luechinger said: “What is clear is that the next peace summit will not be in Europe, and will not take place in the West.” The senior diplomat revealed that several nations had been approached at the conference regarding a potential role in organizing the next summit.

“It is now up to them to decide,” he added. “In the next weeks, I think, things will start moving.”

Asked whether Saudi Arabia could host a meeting, Luechinger hinted that it could be an option, without going into detail.

He also stressed that “Russia should be integrated in the peace process in some way.”