Swiss Efforts to Be Wasted if Moscow Given Ultimatum After Ukraine Conference - Lavrov

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Swiss efforts made at achieving peace in Ukraine will be wasted if Russia is given ultimatums after the first summit in June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"First of all, they [organizers of the conference in Switzerland] are not going to invite us. They just blatantly said that they needed to ‘issue a collective ultimatum’ to Russia first. Well, that just blows any chance of any success for this ‘Swiss effort,” Lavrov told a briefing in Minsk.

Lavrov also called giving Moscow ultimatums a “path to nowhere,” adding that Ukraine and the West have no desire “to conduct business in a fair manner.”

❗️ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on a possible "collective ultimatum" at the Swiss conference on Ukraine: "this blows any chance of success."

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) April 12, 2024

Switzerland to Decide on Sending Invitation to Russia to Ukraine Summit ‘Soon’ - Swiss FM

Switzerland will evaluate various statements made by Russia regarding the Ukraine peace summit and will decide on sending an invitation to Moscow in the coming days, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on Friday.

"The fact that yesterday Russian President [Vladimir] Putin mentioned [during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko] for the first time the peace conference on Ukraine in Switzerland in June is a good sign. In past, Russian officials, including the Russian ambassador to Switzerland, said that Russia was not interested in it. We will analyze the various reactions and decide the best steps to take in the coming days," Cassis told a briefing, when asked if Switzerland plans to invite Russia and Belarus to the conference in June.

The Swiss government has decided to hold a peace conference on Ukraine in Burgenstock in June, Swiss President Viola Amherd said on Wednesday.