Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Switzerland on Friday, June 14, ahead of a two-day major peace summit in the country. The gathering at the luxury Burgenstock resort will bring together Zelensky and more than 50 other heads of state and government for the first summit on peace in Ukraine since Russia's invasion of the country in February 2022.
"I arrived in Switzerland for the Global Peace Summit. There will be two days of active work with countries from all parts of the world, with different nations that are nonetheless united by a common goal of bringing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine closer," Zelensky said in a social media post.
World leaders in attendance for the summit that hopes to plot out first steps toward peace in Ukraine include Germany's Olaf Scholz, France's Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Giorgia Meloni. Russia is not taking part. The presidents of Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Somalia will also join.
US Vice President Kamala Harris is set to attend while Turkey and Saudi Arabia have dispatched their foreign ministers. Key developing countries like Brazil, an observer at the event, India and South Africa will be represented at lower levels.
Switzerland said the aim is to lay the groundwork for the path to peace in Ukraine, which would eventually involve Moscow, but Russian leader Vladimir Putin said the summit was a "trick to distract everyone" on Friday, claiming he would begin peace talks "immediately" if Kyiv pulled its troops out of current frontlines. He called for sweeping demands, demanding Ukraine retire its troops from Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry was quick to denounce Putin's ceasefire proposal, describing the Russian leader's goal as being "to mislead the international community, undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just peace, and split the unity of the world over the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter."
On Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Italy, said Putin was trying to dictate the conditions for peace in Ukraine by offering to halt Moscow's offensive if Kyiv effectively surrenders.
"What we need is not a dictated peace but a just and equitable peace which takes into account Ukraine's (territorial) integrity and sovereignty," he told the public broadcaster ARD.