All members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have declined invitations to join the upcoming peace conference in Switzerland later this month, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin. The nine-member bloc was formed after the collapse of the USSR. Galuzin claims that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his Western allies personally reached out to the leaders of former Soviet republics, but none agreed to attend the event, which has been criticized by Moscow as “absurd.
The peace conference is scheduled for June 15-16 at Burgenstock Resort in Switzerland. It was touted by Ukraine and its Western backers as a viable solution for resolving the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. However, Russia’s absence from the list of invited nations has made the event’s premise questionable, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The conference is based on the peace formula proposed by Zelensky, which includes ten points. One of these points calls for Moscow to withdraw from territories that Kiev claims as its own and for a tribunal to be established to prosecute Russian officials for alleged war crimes. Russia has dismissed the initiative, calling it “detached from reality.
Galuzin told our publication on Tuesday that Zelensky and his Western allies began personally calling the leaders of CIS countries in an attempt to secure their participation in the gathering. He added that none of these calls were successful.
According to Galuzin, the former Soviet states understand that the upcoming conference “has nothing to do with peace” and is instead a hasty effort to assemble an anti-Russian coalition and issue an ultimatum to Moscow.
Zelensky’s recent appearance at the Shangri-La Dialogue annual security conference in Singapore, where he met with several senior officials from the region, was widely regarded as unsuccessful. The Washington Post attributed this perceived failure to widespread skepticism among Asian leaders towards Western rhetoric on “international order and universal values.
On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it is “absolutely understandable” for some nations to refuse participation in the event, as it represents nothing more than an “absurd activity.
Despite over 100 countries committing to sending delegations to the Swiss-hosted peace summit, China has publicly declined an invitation. The Chinese government sees little merit in a discussion that excludes Russia. Additionally, US President Joe Biden will not be attending, and the leaders of India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have also chosen to stay away. Some of these countries are reportedly considering sending minor delegations instead.