Geneva (BN24) – Switzerland announced Tuesday it would not arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin should he travel to the country for potential peace talks with Ukraine, despite an outstanding International Criminal Court warrant accusing him of war crimes.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said the Alpine nation would grant Putin immunity if he came to Geneva to attend a “peace conference,” citing Switzerland’s neutral role and Geneva’s status as the European headquarters of the United Nations.
The statement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump held intensive discussions with European leaders at the White House, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which Trump phoned Putin and proposed a summit to push for a negotiated end to the war. Trump later claimed on Truth Social that he had begun organizing such a meeting, though he offered few details.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani both suggested Geneva as the most suitable venue for the summit. Cassis added that Switzerland had already “clarified the legal situation” and could host such a gathering despite the ICC warrant, underscoring that “it naturally depends on the will of the major powers.”
Still, the Kremlin has not committed to the idea. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that any direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would require careful preparation, signaling Moscow’s reluctance.
Trump reiterated on Fox News that he had “sort of set up” the potential summit, but Putin has yet to indicate whether he would attend.
