China and Saudi Arabia have both declined to attend a Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland next month, citing the absence of Russia as a key reason, various sources confirmed on June 1.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the conference does not meet its expectations, which include the participation of both Russia and Ukraine. This announcement confirmed an exclusive Reuters report.
“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.”
Diplomatic sources told Reuters that China briefed some diplomats this week, informing them that its conditions had not been met and therefore it would not attend the summit.
“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 said in a statement to Reuters. Kyiv has been pushing hard for a Chinese delegation of some sort to participate in the summit to give it legitimacy.
Similarly, Saudi Arabia will not be present at the Global Peace Summit in support of Ukraine because of Russia's absence, the German news agency DPA reported on June 2, citing diplomatic sources. The summit, scheduled for June 15-16 in the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland, aims to garner broad-based turnout from different parts of the world and lay the groundwork for a peace process in Ukraine. Moscow was not invited and has dismissed the talks as meaningless without its participation.
Of the big non-western countries that will go to the event that maintain good relations with Russia is India, which will participate in the summit. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed in an interview with PTI published on May 20 that a high level delegation will attend the meeting, although the details have yet to be decided, nor has he said if he will personally attend.
Modi has also confirmed India’s participation in the upcoming G7 meeting in Italy that will happen just before the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. 'The level of participation will depend on timing, logistics, and parallel commitments,' Modi said.
US President Joe Biden has confirmed that he will be at the G7 summit in Italy, but he said that he will not attend the event in Switzerland, preferring to attend an election fund raiser in the US with Hollywood star Julia Roberts instead.
Diplomatic sources reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's planned visit to Saudi Arabia on June 1 to rally support has been postponed until after the summit. Saudi Arabia has positioned itself in the middle between Russia and the US and offered to mediate in the conflict. Riyadh hosted an international summit on the peace formula in August 2023 and has played a significant role in negotiating prisoner exchanges with Russia, facilitating a major exchange involving nearly 300 people in September 2022.
China’s no-show has disappointed Kyiv and elicited a sharp rebuke from Zelenskiy who accused China of pressuring countries to boycott the peace conference and warned that Beijing’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin would only prolong the war.
“Using Chinese influence, using Chinese diplomats, Russia is doing everything to disrupt the summit. Regrettably, such a big, independent country as China has become an instrument in Putin’s hands,” Zelenskiy said June 2 during a visit to Singapore.
China has become a key enabler for Russia’s war in Ukraine, providing it with dual-use machinery and technology . At the same time, Saudi Arabia has maintained close economic ties with Russia, which have strengthened following the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Russia's subsequent economic isolation from the West.
Despite these notable absences, representatives from more than 100 nations are expected to attend the peace summit in Lucerne on June 15-16. Heads of states and governments from most Western nations are anticipated, though it is unclear whether President Biden—who will be in Italy for a Group of Seven leaders meeting just before—will attend.
Without these Russian allies, who could exert significant pressure on Moscow to end the war, there is little chance that the peace conference will bring about an immediate end to the conflict. Moscow has shown no tangible signs of willingness to cease hostilities, and Ukraine remains hopeful of expelling Russian troops from nearly one-fifth of its territory that remains occupied.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested on May 31 that China could arrange a peace conference involving both Russia and Ukraine.
Moscow is believed to have put pressure on Beijing to stay away from the summit, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China in May to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Putin expressed support for China's plan for a peaceful settlement of the crisis, stating that Beijing had a full understanding of the situation.
Ukraine hopes the summit will address several key areas, including energy security, the exchange of captives, the return of deported children, global food security, and other critical topics.
