German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Photo: AFP/VNA)

"At best, it is the start of a process that could lead to direct talks between Ukraine and Russia," Scholz said in an interview with the German weekly Stern.

The chancellor warned that "nobody should have excessive expectations". Switzerland has invited more than 160 delegations to the peace conference, although Russia is not currently on the list. Russian authorities criticized this Summit as "meaningless" and said Russia would refuse to participate even if invited.