View shows a thermal power plant damaged by recent Russian missile strikes in Ukraine.

Russia said on Thursday it saw no point in a conference being planned by Switzerland in mid-June to discuss how to end the Ukraine conflict and to which Moscow is not currently invited.

The Swiss government said on Thursday that "at this stage" Russia is not among the dozens of countries invited, adding that while it was open to including Russia, Moscow had repeatedly underlined it had no interest.

Switzerland in January said it would host the summit at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow did not see it as a credible initiative.

"We don't understand what kind of milestone it is, this peace conference," he told reporters. "What kind of conference can we talk about, what kind of serious conference with serious expectations of some kind of results, without the participation of Russia?

"This is completely impossible, and it is clear that this is some kind of initiative that is not focused on results," he said.

The Swiss government said in a statement, "A peace process without Russia is not possible."

Zelenskiy, in his nightly video message, said invitations had been sent and described the summit as "practically the first real chance to start restoring a just peace".

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin would try to disrupt the efforts of summit participants "with manipulation and with the force of strikes by his terrorists".

Zelenskiy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, told Ukrainian television that Kyiv was making every effort to have China attend the summit.

"China is very important and consultations are constantly going on at different levels with the participation of our partners," he said.

UKRAINE SEES NO PLACE AT SUMMIT FOR RUSSIA

Ukraine's government has questioned the utility of Russian participation in the talks due to be held from June 15-16 near the Swiss city of Lucerne.

"We know that it doesn't make sense to have Russia at the table if you cannot ensure that they act in good faith," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with Foreign Policy magazine published this week.

Kuleba said putting pressure on Russia on the battlefield and bringing together countries "who share principles" should help to make Moscow more willing to engage in dialogue.

Russian officials point to Switzerland's adoption of EU sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, and argue it therefore lacks credibility as a neutral broker.

The Swiss government said the talks will build on Zelenskiy's peace formula, calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops and bringing Russia to account for its actions, as well as other proposals based on the U.N. Charter and key principles of international law.

The delegations invited include members of the G7, G20, BRICS groups, the EU, international organizations and two religious representatives, Switzerland said.

The talks aim to create a framework for a lasting peace, and a roadmap for Russia's participation in the process, it said.

"The overarching objective of the summit is to inspire a future peace process," the Swiss government said. Direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine broke down in the first few weeks following Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

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More than 160 delegations invited to Ukraine peace talks

Switzerland has invited more than 160 delegations to next month's Ukraine peace conference, the foreign ministry said Thursday, though Russia is not among them "at this stage".

Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022, has dismissed the Lucerne event as a US-orchestrated plot.

It has repeatedly said it will not participate in any talks unless Kyiv accepts Russia's annexation of the roughly 20 percent of Ukraine's territory it currently occupies.

"Russia has not been invited at this stage," the foreign ministry in Bern said. "Switzerland has always shown openness to extending an invitation to Russia for this summit.

"However, Russia has said repeatedly and also publicly that it has no interest in participating in this first summit. The summit in Switzerland is intended to initiate a peace process.

"Switzerland is convinced that Russia must be involved in this process. A peace process without Russia is unthinkable."

For now, the attendance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden has not been confirmed.

Another big unknown is whether Moscow's key ally China will attend.

China has never condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine, and stands accused of indirectly supporting the war through its strategic partnership with its neighbour Moscow.

The weekend conference will be held on June 15-16 at the luxury Burgenstock resort near the central city of Lucerne.

The list of participating countries will be published shortly before the conference begins, but they include countries from every continent including members of the G7, the G20 and the BRICS group.

The G7 summit will be held in neighbouring Italy from June 13 to 15.

The Vatican, the European Union, the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have also been invited.

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Bern said the peace summit was expected to last just over a day.

"All states present at the summit should contribute their ideas and visions for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," the foreign ministry said.

The talks aim to "promote a common understanding of a possible framework to reach this goal", and "jointly define a roadmap on how to involve both parties in a future peace process".

On the ground, Russia has made recent advances against Ukraine's outgunned, under-equipped forces, ahead of the long-awaited arrival of the bulk of US weapons to the front to support Kyiv's troops.

Poland’s Duda Will Attend Swiss Conference on Ukraine Peace Plan

Polish President Andrzej Duda intends to take part in a planned conference on Ukraine’s peace blueprint in Switzerland next month, he said after a phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday.

Heads of state and government from more than 160 countries including the Group of Seven, Group of 20, the European Union and the so-called BRICS bloc were invited to the gathering set to take place on June 15 and 16 near Lucerne. Russia isn’t included on the guest list.

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