Moscow Slams Planned Ukraine Peace Summit as U.S. 'Project'

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday criticized plans to hold a Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland, calling it a futile initiative of the U.S. Democratic Party ahead of this year's presidential election in the United States.

The high-level summit will be held in Switzerland on June 15-16, with Swiss media saying U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to attend.

"American Democrats, who need photos and videos of events that supposedly indicate their project 'Ukraine' is still afloat, are behind this," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency.

She accused Washington of being primarily motivated by its election process.

"The elections are everything. Ukraine is nothing," she said.

The Swiss government said earlier on Wednesday that the peace summit will take place at the luxury Burgenstock resort near the central city of Luzern on June 15-16 and will be hosted by President Viola Amherd.

Russia has accused Switzerland of abandoning its traditional neutrality in the Ukraine war, as well as the issue of what to do with Russian assets that are kept in the country.

Moscow last month summoned the Swiss ambassador over ongoing efforts in the West to seize Russian assets.