China will not attend the Ukraine peace conference that is set to take place in Switzerland next month, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry stating that it does not meet its expectation of including both Moscow and Kyiv.
Switzerland is aiming at a broad-based turnout from several parts of the world for the summit that is due for mid-June, which Bern anticipates will do the underpinning for a peace process in Ukraine.
Russia, as per news agency Reuters reports was not invited and dismisses the talks as meaningless without its participation.
“The arrangements for the meeting still fall far short of China’s requests and the general expectations of the international community, making it difficult for China to participate,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a routine briefing.
“China has always insisted that an international peace conference should be endorsed by both Russia and Ukraine, with the equal participation of all parties, and that all peace proposals should be discussed in a fair and equal manner. Otherwise, it will be difficult for it to play a substantive role in restoring peace.”
China had earlier this week, as per Reuters reports, declined the invitation to the summit, stating that its conditions were not met.
The conditions by Beijing included equal participation by both Russia and Ukraine and fair discussions on all proposals.
“We are very sorry that the Chinese side does not use the opportunity to present its position on the platform of the Summit in Switzerland,” a spokesperson for the Ukrainian embassy in Beijing was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov put forward a suggestion on Thursday stating that China could arrange a peace conference in which Moscow and Kyiv could participate.
This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China where he said that Ukraine may take an opportunity to get a broader group of countries to back Volodymyr Zelensky’s demand for a total Russian withdrawal at the Swiss talks.
Putin during his visit to China also expressed support for Beijing’s strategy for a peaceful settlement of the ongoing conflict stating that China had a complete understanding of what lay behind the crisis.
The Swiss foreign ministry said it noted the conditions for China’s participation have not yet been met, particularly as Russia is “currently not involved” in the peace conference.
“For Switzerland, Russia’s involvement in the peace process is also essential. The (ministry) it is working actively to involve Russia in the peace process,” it added.
The Swiss ministry, which previously highlighted its desire to involve Russia in the peace process, said over 80 countries had shared their confirmation for taking part in the conference.
(With inputs from agencies)