Switzerland has confirmed it would grant Russian President Vladimir Putin immunity if he attended peace talks on Ukraine within its territory, despite the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Foreign Minister, Ignazio Cassis, explained on Tuesday that exceptions could be made 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 said at a press briefing.
The announcement comes after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Switzerland could host a potential peace summit between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I’m pushing for Geneva,” Macron told French news channel LCI earlier in the day, describing Switzerland as a neutral ground.
Cassis stressed that Switzerland stood ready to host such a meeting, noting the country’s longstanding reputation as a neutral mediator.
However, he admitted Moscow had grown less receptive to Switzerland since it 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,” he said, recounting his exchanges with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Still, Cassis pointed to recent precedents where exemptions had been granted. He highlighted the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva last month, where Russia participated despite sanctions.
Valentina Matviyenko, head of Russia’s upper house of parliament, attended. At the time, a Swiss foreign ministry spokesperson said exemptions to travel bans could be issued “notably if the person is travelling to participate in an international conference.”
Putin’s last visit to Geneva was in June 2021 for his summit with then-U.S. President Joe Biden.
The most recent Russia-Ukraine negotiations, however, took place in Istanbul, a venue Russia views more favorably given Turkey’s position despite its NATO membership.