Switzerland has announced it would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter the country for peace negotiations on Ukraine, despite the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) outstanding arrest warrant against him.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis clarified that immunity could be granted under specific conditions.
“Last year, the Swiss government defined the rules for granting immunity to a person under an international arrest warrant. If this person comes for a peace conference – not if they come for private reasons,” Cassis explained.
French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed Switzerland as a potential host for a summit between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I’m pushing for Geneva,” Macron said during an interview aired on French news channel LCI earlier in the day.
Cassis confirmed Switzerland’s readiness to facilitate such a meeting, citing the country’s longstanding neutrality and experience in hosting diplomatic events.
However, he acknowledged that Moscow’s enthusiasm for Switzerland as a venue has waned since Bern aligned itself with European Union sanctions following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“I was told that since Switzerland adopted European sanctions, they have naturally lost some of the desire to do so in Switzerland,” Cassis noted, referencing recent conversations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Switzerland has previously allowed sanctioned Russian officials to attend international events. In July, Valentina Matviyenko, head of Russia’s upper house of parliament, participated in the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva.
Swiss authorities justified her attendance by citing international agreements and legal provisions that permit exemptions for official diplomatic gatherings.
A spokesperson from the Swiss foreign ministry reiterated that travel restrictions can be lifted “notably if the person is travelling to participate in an international conference.”
Putin’s last visit to Geneva was in June 2021, when he met with then-U.S. President Joe Biden.
The most recent direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul, a location seen as more favorable by Moscow due to Turkey’s relatively neutral stance despite its NATO membership.
