Switzerland justifies not inviting Russia to the peace conference, Moscow is "grateful" to Türkiye

On June 11, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis stated that his country "accepts responsibility" for not inviting Russia to the peace summit for Ukraine, after consulting on the matter "with several countries".

Conflict in Ukraine: Switzerland clarifies why it did not invite Russia to the peace conference, Moscow 'grateful' to Türkiye. (Source: X)

During the press conference, when asked why Switzerland did not extend an invitation to Russia, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said: “This is our choice. We are prepared to take responsibility for this decision. As the host nation, we have a responsibility to decide who to invite and who not to invite.”

According to him, Switzerland had discussed the matter of extending the invitation with many countries, not just Western ones, and had "considered the risks."

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Cassis added that while some countries in the Southern Hemisphere requested that Russia be invited, Switzerland did not want the decision to invite Moscow to potentially threaten Ukraine's participation.

Earlier, the head of Swiss diplomacy stated that the question was not whether Russia would participate, but when, and emphasized that Bern was in regular contact with the Moscow authorities regarding the conference.

Recently, Russia has argued that Switzerland is no longer in a neutral position and has stated that Moscow is not interested in attending the conference.

Along with Russia's absence, China confirmed it would not attend because the conference did not meet Beijing's requirements, which stipulated that the conference must be recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, require equal participation from all parties, and necessitate fair discussion of all proposals.

In another development on the same day, Sputnik reported that during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow gratefully acknowledges Ankara's commitment to resolving the crisis in Ukraine and other crisis situations.

Thanking Turkish politicians for their support in the negotiation process and for creating the platform in Istanbul to negotiate with Kyiv on resolving the crisis, Putin added: “President Erdogan also played a crucial role in signing the grain agreement. Unfortunately, it is not our fault that this document was not renewed.”

In addition, the Russian leader also expressed satisfaction with the development of relations between Moscow and Ankara.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/xung-dot-o-ukraine-thuy-sy-thanh-minh-viec-khong-moi-nga-du-hoi-nghi-hoa-binh-moscow-biet-on-tho-nhi-ky-274721.html