Switzerland would offer diplomatic immunity to Russian President Vladimir Putin if he were to travel there for potential peace negotiations with Ukraine, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis announced Tuesday.
“We have always expressed our willingness, but of course it depends on the major powers’ willingness to engage,” Cassis stated, after Monday’s White House announcements playing up a meeting between Putin and Zelensky soon.
But the Kremlin itself hasn’t confirmed there will actually be such a meeting anytime time soon, with FM Lavrov on Wednesday signaling this could also happen in the future when each side was ready for a finalized peace deal.
The White House seems to be too out front on its ‘confirmed’ declarations, which aren’t confirmed from the Moscow side at all. Trump seems to be pressing hard for a major diplomatic ‘win’ – but without all the sides being fully on board just yet.
French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Tuesday that Geneva could serve as the location for such talks, while also Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani agreed in calling the Swiss city “a suitable venue.”
Of course, Putin has had an International Criminal Court arrest warrant hanging over him since 2023 over alleged war crimes related to the invasion of Ukraine.
This is a similar case with Netanyahu – as both leaders have seen their travel somewhat restricted as a slew of European countries might move to arrest them. Netanyahu and Putin have been having to avoid most travel to basically anywhere in the West.
Putin had earlier in the war refrained from attending a BRICS summit in South Africa due to the ICC warrant. South Africa was feeling pressure from the ICC at the time over the possible trip.
Switzerland’s FM Cassis has explained that his government reviewed the legal implications and concluded that due to its unique status and Geneva’s role as the European hub for the United Nations, it has the ability to host a summit which would be for the sake of peace and not move on the arrest warrant.
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