North Korea on Friday strongly condemned the Ukraine peace summit to be hosted by Switzerland later this week, describing it as a “conspiracy gathering under the pretext of peace” to exclude Russia, according to the North’s state media.

The Summit on Peace in Ukraine is scheduled to run for two days starting Saturday, bringing together officials from nearly 90 countries and organisations to discuss a path toward ending the war that began nearly 28 months ago when Russia invaded Ukraine.

“The idea of discussing the Ukraine issue without including Russia, a key party in the conflict, is absurd,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.