Switzerland’s government has signalled its readiness to host a potential summit between the United States president-elect and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, whenever both leaders request it. The aim would be to put Ukraine’s war at the center of discussions and to lay out a path to peace that could reshape the security landscape for North America and Europe. The move underscores Switzerland’s history as a neutral venue for high level diplomacy and hints at a diplomacy track that could appeal to Washington and Moscow as they weigh their next steps in the conflict. Reuters reports.
According to Nicolas Bideau, the spokesman for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland told Ukraine, Russia and the United States of its willingness to host any diplomatic effort that could pave the way to peace after the leaders’ summit held in June last year at the town of Bürgenstock. The disclosure, confirmed to the Swiss newspaper Le Temps, reminded readers of Switzerland’s long tradition of offering a discreet stage for high level talks when diplomacy needs space to breathe. This development is closely watched by policymakers in Canada and the United States as a gauge of whether a neutral venue can help unlock a stalled peace process. Reuters reports.
Trump, who was due to assume a second term at the White House on January 20, said on Thursday that he is working to arrange a meeting with Putin after promising during his campaign to pursue peace in Ukraine. The Kremlin, through spokesman Dmitri Peskov, welcomed the invitation but stressed that the topic would not be examined in depth until the American leader takes the oath. The arrangement illustrates the careful choreography of diplomacy where timing and venue can influence outcomes as much as the substance. Reuters reports.
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Ukraine’s government, for its part, reacted with little interest to the Trump initiative and stated, through the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Georgi Tikhi, that Kyiv would instead devote its efforts to establishing high level bilateral contacts with the new U.S. administration as soon as Trump returns to the White House. This stance underscores Ukraine’s focus on practical steps toward direct engagement with Washington rather than grand, intergovernmental negotiations that might unfold in a neutral venue. Reuters reports.