Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, as well as the German government, are reportedly “bitterly disappointed” that China has chosen not to attend the so-called “peace conference” in Switzerland, Der Spiegel news outlet reported on Tuesday. Berlin had previously been lobbying Beijing to participate in the event.
The Kiev-sponsored conference is set to take place over the upcoming weekend at the Burgenstock Resort in Switzerland and will be dedicated to discussions surrounding Zelensky’s ten-step “peace formula” for Ukraine, which, among other things, demands the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from territories Kiev claims as its own, reparations, and an international tribunal for the Russian leadership.
More than 160 delegations, including those from the G7, G20 and BRICS have been invited to the Swiss-hosted event. Moscow, however, received no such invitation and has indicated that it would not have attended the conference even if it did, calling Zelensky’s plan “unacceptable” and describing the “absurd” conference as “completely without prospects.”
Late last month, China also confirmed that it would not be attending the summit, with its Foreign Minister Wang Yi arguing that such a meeting lacks “three important elements” – the recognition of the event by both Moscow and Kiev, the equal participation of all sides, and a fair discussion of all peace proposals.
In its report, Der Spiegel, citing a senior government official in Berlin, stated that the “clarity and timing” of Beijing’s decision to skip the event was interpreted by Zelensky and Germany as “strange and unfriendly.”
The outlet noted that if China had at least sent a special envoy, it would have given the summit “significantly more weight” but, according to a German diplomat, the Global South does not seem to be “on board” after countries including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Brazil also pulled out of the event.
The conference has also been snubbed by several other Latin American countries, including Argentina and Mexico, which have demanded negotiations that would allow both sides of the conflict to participate. Nicaragua went as far as to call Zelensky’s summit a “political farce” that has no goal of finding a path to peace.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Moscow is ready to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but has stressed that “fantasies” cannot serve as a basis for any peace talks.
“All negotiations are based on either military defeat or military victory. Of course, we will win,” Putin said last week.