Swiss President hopes Peace Summit will help stop war in Ukraine
President of Switzerland Viola Amherd hopes that the Peace Summit in her country will be able to outline steps to end the war in Ukraine.
The head of state is discussing the upcoming summit during her visit to Berlin, where she is meeting, in particular, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and her colleague Frank-Walter Steinmeier, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
Amherd stated after meeting with Scholz that the purpose of the conference is for them to initiate the peace process. He emphasized the necessity of discussing potential next steps toward peace, given the significant suffering endured by the civilian population, which compels all states to take action.
She stressed that the host country seeks broad participation not only from Western countries, which are Ukraine's traditional partners, but also from other regions and is working hard to achieve this. To date, she said, 50 heads of state and government have already confirmed their participation.
The President mentioned that there may be changes in the list of participants up until the last moment. She highlighted the countries from South America and Africa that have already confirmed their readiness, constituting about half of all confirmed participants. Additionally, she noted that "China has not yet been registered."
Scholz, for his part, promised to do everything possible to make the conference a success, "even if it is not about peace talks, but about problems that have not been solved". The Chancellor called it important to have the widest possible participation of countries in the summit, as it creates the basis for sending a clear signal and is a prerequisite for further successful steps in the future.
As reported, the meeting will take place on 15 and 16 June at the Bürgenstock lakeside resort in Lucerne, central Switzerland.