Almost 100 nations are gathering in Switzerland this weekend to participate in peace talks led by president Volodymyr Zelensky, as he seeks to drum up support for a plan to end the Ukraine conflict.
US vice president Kamala Harris, French president Emmanuel Macron and the leaders of Germany, Italy, Britain, Canada and Japan are among those set to attend the 15-16 June meeting at the Swiss mountaintop resort of Buergenstock.
Russia was not invited to the talks, while China – its most important ally – has refused to attend.
Seeking to distract from the Swiss government-hosted talks near Lucerne, Vladimir Putin set out yesterday the terms under which Russia would agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
They follow a similar pattern to previous statements by Russian officials and include conditions Ukraine has already rejected outright, including the permanent transfer of four eastern Ukrainian provinces Russia is currently occupying parts of, and a formal commitment that Kyiv will never join Nato.
Zelensky dismissed it as an unacceptable “ultimatum” while the US said Putin could “end [the war] today if he chose”.