Switzerland will grant immunity to Russian President Vladimir Putin if he arrives in the country to participate in peace talks for Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported, reports News.bg.
This will apply regardless of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
At a press conference, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis explained that under certain circumstances the Russian leader will be allowed to set foot on Swiss territory. "Last year, the government set out rules for granting immunity to a person with an international arrest warrant if they come for a peace conference and not for personal reasons," he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron raised the idea of a summit between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a "neutral country, perhaps Switzerland." "I insist on Geneva," Macron stressed.
Cassis said his country was fully prepared to host such a meeting, highlighting Switzerland's long-standing experience in mediation. However, he admitted that Moscow had cooled towards Bern after the country joined the EU sanctions introduced after the war began in February 2022.
“They told me that since Switzerland accepted the European sanctions, they naturally lost some of their desire to hold such a meeting here“, the foreign minister added.
He recalled the precedent from last month - the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments, when Geneva also hosted a Russian delegation, despite the sanctions. Then the speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, Valentina Matvienko, participated in the meeting.
The Swiss authorities specified that the law and international agreements allow for exceptions to travel restrictions, especially when it comes to participating in an international conference.
Putin last visited Geneva in June 2021 for his meeting with then-US President Joe Biden. The last direct talks between Russia and Ukraine were held in Istanbul, with Moscow now considering Turkey a closer partner despite its NATO membership.