Argentinian President Javier Milei Skips Ukraine Peace Summit for National Holidays
Moscow believes that foreign officials are not interested in participating in what they consider to be an “absurd activity.” Argentinian President Javier Milei has decided to skip the upcoming gathering in Switzerland next week in order to attend national holidays at home, becoming the latest foreign leader to snub the so-called “Ukraine peace summit.”
President Milei will shorten his originally planned ten-day trip to Europe and split it into two segments, traveling back to Argentina on June 15-22, Bloomberg and La Nacion reported. This means he will not be attending the Kiev-sponsored event scheduled for June 15-16, as well as most of the G7 summit events in Italy.
Moscow has rejected the Swiss-hosted gathering, calling it a “scam” intended to manipulate neutral nations into supporting Ukraine. Despite inviting around 160 states, Kiev has struggled to gain support from countries like China, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. Even India and Pakistan are considering sending low-level delegations or skipping the conference entirely to maintain neutrality.
Kiev is seeking military assistance for its armed forces and has criticized nations that have chosen not to attend. President Zelensky recently accused China of being a Russian tool and criticized US President Joe Biden for sending Vice President Kamala Harris instead of attending himself.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, countries’ reluctance to attend the summit is understandable as it lacks a clear goal and is seen as an “absurd activity.” Moscow views Zelensky as holding onto power illegitimately, describing him as “the ringleader of the Kiev regime.”