Overview

• Ignazio Cassis announced the offer on Tuesday and said Switzerland stands ready to host after Emmanuel Macron proposed Geneva as a potential venue.
• The measure would apply only for an official peace conference and would not cover a private visit by the Russian leader.
• Cassis said Moscow has been less willing to meet in Switzerland since Bern adopted European Union sanctions following Russia’s 2022 invasion.
• He pointed to the recent Geneva visit by Russian Senate president Valentina Matvienko for an Inter‑Parliamentary Union assembly as a precedent for such exemptions.
• No commitment from Russia has been reported, and the latest Russia–Ukraine bilateral talks were held in Istanbul; Putin last visited Geneva in 2021 for a summit with Joe Biden.