Mexico and Nicaragua are the latest countries to refuse to take part in the “political farce,” their diplomatic missions told the outlet
Mexico and Nicaragua are the latest nations to refuse to take part in the so-called ‘Ukraine peace summit’ organized by Switzerland, signaling Kiev’s failed attempts to rally Latin American countries to Vladimir Zelensky’s side, Izvestia newspaper reported on Friday.
Earlier, Brazil and Argentina announced that they would not attend the summit.
The gathering scheduled for June 15-16 at the Burgenstock Resort has been touted by Kiev and its Western backers as the most realistic way of resolving the conflict with Russia. Moscow, however, has been deliberately excluded from the event, and described it as a “scam” intended to trick neutral nations into supporting Zelensky and the Ukrainian government.
Mexico has maintained a neutral stance on the Ukraine conflict since it began in 2022 and has refused to impose economic sanctions on Russia.
The country’s embassy in Russia confirmed to Izvestia it had been invited to the summit but stated that Mexico will skip the event.
“Our country stands for peace, so we expect that it will soon be possible to hold negotiations in which both sides to the conflict will participate,” an embassy spokesperson told the outlet.
Nicaragua has also rejected an invitation. Managua has “never participated and will not take part in this political farce, which has no goal of finding a path to peace, but is only aimed at presenting another ultimatum to Russia,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The conference is based on Zelensky’s ‘peace formula’. The ten-point initiative calls for Moscow to withdraw from all territory Kiev claims as its own and for a tribunal to be set up to prosecute Russian officials for alleged war crimes. Moscow has dismissed the plan, calling it “detached from reality.”
Venezuela and Cuba are also likely to skip the summit, according to media reports, citing Swiss government officials.
“The fact that many countries will not be attending the event or that they will not be represented by top officials sends a signal that Latin America is not willing to take sides in this conflict,” St. Petersburg State University Professor Viktor Heifets told Izvestia.
Despite inviting around 160 states to the summit, Kiev has largely failed in its attempts to drum up support in the Global South. Countries such as China, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia have already said they will not attend, while India is reportedly among those considering only sending a low-level delegation.
US President Joe Biden will not be going to Switzerland either, the White House has announced. The leaders of South Africa, Argentina, and Pakistan will also be absent.
