Saudi Arabia Not to Participate in Swiss Ukraine Conference

Saudi Arabia has opted out of the upcoming Ukraine conference in Switzerland due to the exclusion of Russian delegates, according to diplomatic sources cited by the DPA agency.

Sources revealed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had planned a visit to Saudi Arabia on June 1 to garner support for the conference set for June 15-16 in Burgenstock, Switzerland. However, this visit was postponed and may only occur post-conference.

While there were initial reports of a potential meeting between Zelensky and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in Jeddah, Riyadh has yet to confirm these details officially.

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs previously announced the invitation of over 160 delegations, including representatives from the Group of Seven (G7), Group of Twenty (G20), and BRICS nations, to the Burgenstock conference. Notably, Russia was not among those invited.

China has also declined to attend the conference, with Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning stating that China's position calling for equal participation of both Russia and Ukraine does not align with the conference's agenda.

Mao emphasized that any international peace conference must include representatives from both nations, ensure equal participation, and fairly consider all peace plans.

Russian President Vladimir Putin commented that Russia would not seek an invitation if unwelcome. On April 12, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the conference as a "road to nowhere," though Moscow has consistently expressed openness to a peaceful resolution with Ukraine.