On January 23, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis affirmed that there will be no peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine without Russia.
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| Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left) meets with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis on the sidelines of a meeting at the United Nations Security Council on January 23. (Source: Twitter) |
At the United Nations headquarters in New York, after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Mr. Cassis was asked whether the foreign ministers would discuss a Swiss proposal to hold a summit in 2024 on peace in Ukraine.
“This is precisely the question we are currently discussing with key partners, such as Russia,” the Swiss diplomat replied.
Affirming that "there will be no peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine without Russia because Moscow is directly involved", according to Mr. Cassis, the purpose of the meeting with Mr. Lavrov "is to establish dialogue and will continue in the direction of seeking peace". In addition, he did not give further details.
The Swiss foreign minister said he would have similar discussions with other countries, such as India and China, in the coming days, adding that there was no other option but to seek consensus for peace in Ukraine, "despite the opposing views of Moscow and Kiev".
In a related development, on the same day, when asked about the possible visit to Moscow of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis' peace envoy to Ukraine, Russian Ambassador to the Vatican Ivan Soltanovsky expressed: "We are ready to continue an open and trustworthy dialogue with the Vatican."
Cardinal Zuppi arrived in Russia at the end of June 2023. In December 2023, Zuppi told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that "something is moving" in his mission, adding that after his trip to Moscow and Kiev, "both the Russians and the Ukrainians have recognized the role of the Holy See."
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