Switzerland set to host Vladimir Putin for peace talks on Ukraine

Despite an existing arrest order for Russian President Vladimir Putin from the International Criminal Court, Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis announced on Tuesday that the country will host any peace negotiations on Ukraine.

Neutral Switzerland is a signatory to the ICC but Cassis told Swiss national broadcaster SRF that provided Putin was coming for peace purposes, the country could receive him.

Following a meeting in Washington with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and European leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Geneva as a possible destination for Ukraine peace talks between Putin and Zelenskiy.

The ICC issued its warrant in 2023, just over a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, charging Putin of committing a war crime by deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.

Russia disputes claims of war crimes, and the Kremlin, which did not join the ICC’s founding treaty, has declared the warrant null and illegal.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker on Tuesday also weighed in, saying his country supported any initiative leading to a just and lasting peace that protects Ukrainian and European security interests.

“As proud host of (the) OSCE and many other International Organisations we stand ready to offer our good services,” he said on social media platform X.