Washington DC, [US] US Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Switzerland next week to attend a summit aimed at helping chart a path towards peace in Ukraine, the White House said.
Vice President Harris will be accompanied by US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan to the Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Lucerne, Switzerland on June 15-16.
US President Joe Biden will not attend the two-day summit as he is scheduled to attend a star-studded fundraising event for his 2024 reelection campaign in Los Angeles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Biden, who has been invited by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, will attend the fundraiser, with host Jimmy Kimmel moderating a conversation between Biden and former President Barack Obama. It will include special guests George Clooney and Julia Roberts.National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters at a press briefing at the White House on Monday that Vice Presidents Harris and Sullivan at the Switzerland summit will highlight the importance of countries continuing to support Ukraine's efforts for a just and lasting peace.
At the peace conference, they will underline the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to support Ukraine's effort to ensure a just and lasting peace based on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter, Kirby said.
The spokesman said the war could end tomorrow "if Russian President Vladimir Putin would withdraw his forces from Ukraine. In the meantime, we will continue, and our allies and partners will continue, to support the people of Ukraine as they fight. " To defend ourselves against this aggression every day,” Kirby said.At a press conference in Brussels last week, Zelensky said that US President Biden's absence "will only be met with applause from Putin – a personal, standing ovation,"
Responding to questions from reporters at the White House Gaggle on Monday, Kirby said Biden has been a staunch supporter of the peace agreement.
"The United States has actively participated in every one of the previous Ukraine peace summits. Every one. And as I said earlier, we have been the strongest, most staunch supporters of this peace agreement that President Zelensky The Kremlin has said any talks related to ensuring peace in Ukraine should include Russia, which has not been invited to the summit.Zelensky, who was in Singapore to attend the Shangi-La Dialogue, told the security conference that China was helping Russian efforts to disrupt the peace conference by pressuring leaders of other countries not to attend.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, "These attempts to disrupt the summit are systematic and unprecedentedly large-scale, which once again confirms that we are doing everything right."Zelensky also Said that Kiev has received confirmation from 106 countries regarding participation in the summit.
Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin said in an interview with Turkey's TRT World television that Russia is ready for talks, but Ukraine sees no such willingness, Russian state media TASS reports.
“We were ready a year ago,” he said.We are still ready." "The problem is that Ukraine has prohibited these types of conversations in public by law, by decree. We do not yet see any willingness on the part of Ukraine or any willingness on the part of Washington or London, which are behind the Ukrainian government. Talk," he was quoted by TASS. On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said China could arrange a Russia-Ukraine peace conference.In an interview with RIA news agency, Lavrov said, ""We share (China's) position that the root causes of the conflict need to be addressed in the first place and the legal interests of all parties should be protected." , Thereafter the agreements will be based on the principle of equal and indivisible security."
However, China has said it will not attend the Switzerland summit because "there is a clear gap between the arrangement of the meeting and China's views as well as the universal expectation in the international community." Addressing a press conference, the country Mao Ning, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said the summit did not meet his expectations of equal participation by Russia and Ukraine and impartial discussion of all peace plans.
Meanwhile, in an interview with RIA, Lavrov also criticized the United States for supporting Ukraine, and accused Washington of complicity in Kiev's actions.
The peace talks, to be hosted by Switzerland, have been proposed by Zelensky and are reportedly aimed at uniting international opinion on how to end the war.The Russia-Ukraine conflict – which began after Moscow launched a 'special military operation' against Kiev on February 24, 2022 – has lasted for more than three years and has caused massive damage to infrastructure and civilian casualties in both countries. happened.
Vice President Harris will be accompanied by US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan to the Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Lucerne, Switzerland on June 15-16.
US President Joe Biden will not attend the two-day summit as he is scheduled to attend a star-studded fundraising event for his 2024 reelection campaign in Los Angeles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Biden, who has been invited by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, will attend the fundraiser, with host Jimmy Kimmel moderating a conversation between Biden and former President Barack Obama. It will include special guests George Clooney and Julia Roberts.National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters at a press briefing at the White House on Monday that Vice Presidents Harris and Sullivan at the Switzerland summit will highlight the importance of countries continuing to support Ukraine's efforts for a just and lasting peace.
At the peace conference, they will underline the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to support Ukraine's effort to ensure a just and lasting peace based on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter, Kirby said.
The spokesman said the war could end tomorrow "if Russian President Vladimir Putin would withdraw his forces from Ukraine. In the meantime, we will continue, and our allies and partners will continue, to support the people of Ukraine as they fight. " To defend ourselves against this aggression every day,” Kirby said.At a press conference in Brussels last week, Zelensky said that US President Biden's absence "will only be met with applause from Putin – a personal, standing ovation,"
Responding to questions from reporters at the White House Gaggle on Monday, Kirby said Biden has been a staunch supporter of the peace agreement.
"The United States has actively participated in every one of the previous Ukraine peace summits. Every one. And as I said earlier, we have been the strongest, most staunch supporters of this peace agreement that President Zelensky The Kremlin has said any talks related to ensuring peace in Ukraine should include Russia, which has not been invited to the summit.Zelensky, who was in Singapore to attend the Shangi-La Dialogue, told the security conference that China was helping Russian efforts to disrupt the peace conference by pressuring leaders of other countries not to attend.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, "These attempts to disrupt the summit are systematic and unprecedentedly large-scale, which once again confirms that we are doing everything right."Zelensky also Said that Kiev has received confirmation from 106 countries regarding participation in the summit.
Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin said in an interview with Turkey's TRT World television that Russia is ready for talks, but Ukraine sees no such willingness, Russian state media TASS reports.
“We were ready a year ago,” he said.We are still ready." "The problem is that Ukraine has prohibited these types of conversations in public by law, by decree. We do not yet see any willingness on the part of Ukraine or any willingness on the part of Washington or London, which are behind the Ukrainian government. Talk," he was quoted by TASS. On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said China could arrange a Russia-Ukraine peace conference.In an interview with RIA news agency, Lavrov said, ""We share (China's) position that the root causes of the conflict need to be addressed in the first place and the legal interests of all parties should be protected." , Thereafter the agreements will be based on the principle of equal and indivisible security."
However, China has said it will not attend the Switzerland summit because "there is a clear gap between the arrangement of the meeting and China's views as well as the universal expectation in the international community." Addressing a press conference, the country Mao Ning, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said the summit did not meet his expectations of equal participation by Russia and Ukraine and impartial discussion of all peace plans.
Meanwhile, in an interview with RIA, Lavrov also criticized the United States for supporting Ukraine, and accused Washington of complicity in Kiev's actions.
The peace talks, to be hosted by Switzerland, have been proposed by Zelensky and are reportedly aimed at uniting international opinion on how to end the war.The Russia-Ukraine conflict – which began after Moscow launched a 'special military operation' against Kiev on February 24, 2022 – has lasted for more than three years and has caused massive damage to infrastructure and civilian casualties in both countries. happened.
