Russia has rejected an idea advanced by Switzerland about possible talks in Geneva on a peace plan for Ukraine without Moscow's participation as "ridiculous."
The news came as outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces withdrew from a second location in the east of the country.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy voiced hopes on February 25 that a summit of world leaders will be held in Switzerland in the coming months to discuss his vision for peace after Swiss President Viola Amherd had said the previous day her neutral country was ready to host a senior-level peace conference.
"I hope it [a summit] will take place this spring. We must not lose this diplomatic initiative," Zelenskiy said, adding that he expected the resulting peace initiative to be presented to Moscow.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on February 26 called the idea "bizarre."
"As far as we understand, the issue on the agenda is some bizarre so-called Geneva platform -- a conference to discuss Zelenskiy's peace plan.
"We have repeatedly said that at least this is a strange arrangement, because some peace plans are being discussed without Russia's participation, which in itself is not serious and even ridiculous," Peskov said at his weekly news conference.
Meanwhile, some 20 Western leaders and senior officials are gathering in Paris on February 26 to reinforce Europe's determination to back Ukraine as the war entered its third year.
"We want to send [Russian President Vladimir] Putin a very clear message, that he won't win in Ukraine," an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters about the hastily arranged meeting.
"Our goal is to crush this idea he wants us to believe that he would be somehow winning," the adviser said.
Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, confirmed that they had retreated from Lastochkyne, a village some 5 kilometers northwest of Avdiyivka, which fell to Russian troops last week after a fierce monthslong battle.
"This is an orderly and competent retreat," military spokesman Serhiy Tsekhotskiy told RFE/RL. "No need to panic. The most important thing is to save the lives of Ukrainian personnel."
Exhausted Ukrainian forces have been suffering from mounting shortages of heavy weapons and ammunition as desperately needed U.S. military help remains stuck in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which refuses to pass a bill that includes $61 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Separately, at least two people were killed in a Russian air strike in northeastern Sumy region on February 26 as Russia unleashed a fresh wave of drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, regional officials and the military said.
"A private residential building was destroyed, five others were damaged" in the strike on the village of Yunakyiv. "A couple was killed in the strike," Sumy regional authorities said in a message on Telegram.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down nine out of the 14 drones launched by Russia early on February 26, the military said. Three Russian cruise missiles were also destroyed, it added.