Putin confidante Matviyenko in Geneva despite sanctions

Appearance by Putin confidant Matviyenko in Geneva despite sanctions Keystone-SDA

Russia’s most powerful woman and confidante of President Putin, Valentina Matviyenko, has appeared as Chair of the Russian Federation Council in Geneva – even though she is on the sanctions list for her support of the invasion of Ukraine.

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The experience of two world wars must be a warning against a third world war, said Matviyenko, in view of the conflicts in the world. As an ardent supporter of the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Vladimir Putin, the 76-year-old is on Western sanctions lists – those of the US, the EU and Switzerland.

In Russia, pictures were shown of Matviyenko, who had travelled there in a government plane, being greeted with flowers when she landed. She is attending a meeting of presidents of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) lasting several days in Geneva. President of the Swiss House of Representatives Maja Riniker opened the 15th summit of women parliament presidents on Monday.

Matviyenko, who is said to own a villa with a private beach in Italy, presented herself in Switzerland as an ambassador of understanding and called for peace that guarantees the “security of all nations”. Russia launched its war against Ukraine in February 2022 under the pretext that its own security was endangered by the neighbouring country’s ambitions to join NATO.

In addition to Matviyenko, Duma politicians Leonid Sluzki and Pyotr Tolstoy, who were also sanctioned, were also present at the event in Geneva on Monday.

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) commented on the sanctions in mid-July when asked by Keystone-SDA that Switzerland was responsible for facilitating the entry of official delegates as part of the federal government’s headquarters agreement with the Inter-Parliamentary Union. If necessary, sanctions could be temporarily lifted for the duration of the conference.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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