Kremlin says summit on Ukraine shows almost ‘zero’ effectiveness

Moscow, June 17 (IANS) The Summit on Peace in Ukraine held in Switzerland over the weekend has proved to be largely ineffective, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.”Of course, if we talk about the overall effectiveness of this meeting, then, of course, it tends to be zero,” Peskov said, reported Xinhua News Agency. Peskov noted that many countries at the summit expressed the opinion that discussing Ukraine without Russia was futile, adding that this sentiment was widely shared among the participants. Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to dialogue on Ukraine with serious, substantive and productive discussions, said the spokesperson. “We will continue to work with all countries that are willing to do so,” he added. The peace conference on Ukraine ended on Sunday in Burgenstock, Switzerland, with some attendees failing to sign the joint communique. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis also mentioned at a press conference on Sunday that most of the decisions made at this conference can not be implemented without Russian participation. –IANS int/as/vd