Zelensky heads to Davos as Swiss leader agrees to hold peace summit

Switzerland and Ukraine will organize a high-level peace summit amid Kiev's ongoing war with invading Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Swiss President Viola Amherd said on Monday in Bern.

There was initially no date named for the meeting, which came at Zelensky's request, but the leaders said planning would begin immediately.

Zelensky indicated that Russia would not have a seat at the talks.

Only countries that support Ukraine's territorial integrity would be invited, he said.

Zelensky met Amherd in Bern before he travelled on to the alpine resort town of Davos to take part in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Russia launched a large-scale, unprovoked war against Ukraine in February 2022 and occupied large areas of land in the east and south.

The format of the planned talks would follow the four so-called Peace Formula conferences that have taken place since spring 2023 in Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Malta and on Sunday in Davos.

A total of 83 countries and international organizations were involved in Davos, but not China.

Kiev has formulated in a 10-point peace plan. These include Russia's withdrawal from all parts of the country, punishments for Russian war criminals and reparations.

Zelensky is attending the meeting of world leaders, business execs and campaigners as he hopes to drum up more military aid for his country.

Zelensky wants this year to personally solicit support for Ukraine's fight against Russia, after joining via video link in previous years.

On his schedule in Davos are bilateral meetings with representatives of the European Union, NATO and major companies, as well as a keynote address on Tuesday.

After 22 months of war, Kiev is currently struggling to obtain new aid from the United States and the European Union.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also expected to attend the Davos talks and panel discussions. It was not initially known what talks would be held behind the scenes.

One of the other top attendees, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, was welcomed with military honours on Monday at the Lohn Estate official residence in Kehrsatz outside the capital Bern. Economic relations were to be discussed during talks with Swiss President Viola Amherd. The countries have had a free trade agreement since 2014.

In addition to Zelensky, Li and Blinken, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected, with the war in Gaza high on the agenda. Important stakeholders in the Gaza war could come together, with the prime ministers of Qatar, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon on the guest list, along with the Iranian foreign minister.

The WEF is above all regarded as a meeting place for the economic elite. The big companies have set up pop up stalls in the Swiss ski resort for a week.

Around 800 company bosses are also expected to attend, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Sam Altman, the developer of the popular chatbot ChatGPT. Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to be one of the key business topics.