Zelenskyy to address summit of 30 countries gathered to discuss Paris Olympics

As Ukraine pushes for Russian athletes to be barred from next year's Paris Olympics and threats of a boycott mount, officials from 30 countries were holding a summit Friday to discuss how to respond.

The International Olympic Committee argues it would be discriminatory to exclude Russia and ally Belarus entirely. With qualifying in many sports already under way, the IOC wants athletes from those countries to compete in a neutral capacity without national symbols.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has previously said any neutral flag for Russia would be "stained with blood," is due to address the online summit by video link. Zelenskyy made surprise visits to Britain and France on Wednesday, pushing for fighter jets to battle Russian invaders in a dramatic speech to the British Parliament.

Friday's meeting was taking place on a day of intense missile and drone strikes by Russian forces against Ukraine.

"President Zelenskyy told the UK in Parliament this week of the suffering still being felt by many Ukrainians. As he did so the IOC was continuing to ignore the international allies stepping up their efforts for peace and disregard how the Olympics will give [Russian president Vladimir] Putin the perfect platform to promote Russia and legitimize his illegal war," British Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who is chairing the meeting, said in a statement Thursday.

"We're approaching a year since this barbaric invasion began. We must urge the IOC to show that the Olympic values mean something. We must make clear there are consequences to this illegal invasion. We cannot allow Russian athletes to line up alongside Team GB [the British Olympic team] and everyone else on the world stage."

Ukrainian sports minister Vadym