Biden to skip Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden will not attend the Ukraine peace summit that will take place in Switzerland from June 15-16.

"No one has been a stronger, obviously a stronger champion for Ukraine than President Biden," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters when asked why he will be in California instead of going to the summit.

She said Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will represent the US at the event.

"We have actively participated in each of the previous Ukraine peace summits and strongly support President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy's proposal to reach a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

"Ukraine will continue to have no stronger friend and support than the United States under this president,” she added.

Last week, Zelenskyy urged Biden to attend the summit to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying his absence "would only be applauded" by Putin.