(ANSA-AFP) - BURGENSTOCK, JUN 15 - World leaders were set to
join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday for a
summit on peace in his country. But without Russia in
attendance, it is being seen as merely a first step in a long
process. Switzerland, which is hosting the two-day gathering at
the luxury Burgenstock mountain resort, has sought to temper
expectations, framing the event as laying the groundwork for a
path to peace, with future summits envisioned involving Moscow.
But in a combative speech on Friday, Russian President Vladimir
Putin slammed the conference, and demanded that Kyiv effectively
surrender before any actual peace negotiations. Zelensky branded
Putin's demands a territorial "ultimatum" reminiscent of Nazi
Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler, while NATO and the United
States also immediately rejected the hardline conditions. "What
we need is not a dictated peace but a just and equitable peace
which takes into account Ukraine's (territorial) integrity and
sovereignty," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told broadcaster ARD
before heading to the summit. (ANSA-AFP).
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