Up to 100 countries to take part in summit on Ukraine in Switzerland

Switzerland aims to host a high-level Ukraine peace conference in mid-June with 80 to 100 nations mostly from the so-called Global South invited to attend, according to people familiar with the matter, Report informs referring to Bloomberg.

The conference may take place June 16-17, though it’s unclear how many leaders would be present, the people said, asking not to be named discussing confidential details. A key point of contention is whether China will participate, they added, which would be crucial for Switzerland to make the initiative credible.

Ukraine’s allies see China’s presence as important for the success of the meeting given the influence they say Beijing has on Moscow more than two years into the war.

A spokesperson for the Swiss foreign ministry said that the date and place of the conference haven’t been fixed yet.

“In addition to the perspectives of Ukraine, Russia and Europe, it is also important to listen to the Global South, which will play a key role in the eventual inclusion of Russia in the process,” the spokesperson told Bloomberg on Monday. “That is why we are in close contact with China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.”