Swiss president says talks possible with Russia after peace summit

The Global Peace Summit in Switzerland is just the beginning of negotiations and would likely be followed by talks with Russia.

Swiss President Viola Amherd said this in comments published by Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on Friday, Ukrinform reports, citing dpa.

"It is clear to us that we will not sign a peace agreement at the end of the conference," Amgerd said.

Both parties need to be at the table for peace, she said, referring to the fact that Russia has not been invited to attend the Swiss summit.

"Russia could then be present at a possible follow-up conference," she said.

Amherd noted that the conference was intended to create a platform for dialogue at which the first step would be to discuss how peace could be achieved in Ukraine.

It would not be about peace in Ukraine in the narrow sense, but "only" about humanitarian issues, nuclear safety, freedom of navigation and food security, she said.

"We want to build trust and seek solutions to these issues, which are important for the civilian population and then also for peace later on," she said.

The Global Peace Summit will be held in Switzerland on June 15-16, with heads of state and government from all continents expected to attend. The participating countries will develop a joint negotiating position and submit it to Russia. More than 100 countries and international organizations have confirmed their participation in the summit.

The Ukrainian Peace Formula is a diplomatic mechanism offered by Ukraine to achieve a just end to the war started by Russia.

Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa