If the Swiss government does not revoke it, the refugees could benefit from the protection for up to five years, before upgrading it to a B residence permit, she told the Le Temps newspaper in an interviewExternal link on Wednesday.
The so-called S status would only be revoked in case of a ceasefire or the deployment of international peacekeeping troops, she reiterated.
Keller-Sutter said she had asked the Swiss immigration authorities to prepare for such a case, adding this was not meant as a signal that the Ukrainian refugees would have to return soon.
She said the return of Ukrainians to their home country could take place in stages, similar to a procedure applied with refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s.
“Back then, single adults had to return first, then families without children, then families with children,” she said.
There are currently about 70,000 refugees from Ukraine in Switzerland. The authorities expect the figure to rise further over the next three months.
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Swiss president visits region affected by glacier collapse
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Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter spoke with communities affected by the Birch glacier collapse, which buried the village of Blatten.
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On Saturday the Lake Geneva, Valais and Basel regions are expected to record the first tropical day of the year, with temperatures exceeding 30°C.
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The Swiss economy saw the clouds that had gathered over its prospects lift somewhat in May. However, the KOF economic barometer is still below its long-term average.
Direct operations too dangerous in Swiss landslide valley
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By Friday morning 365 people had been forced to leave their homes because of Wednesday's landslide in the Swiss village of Blatten.
Franco-Swiss raclette war set to be settled on Sunday
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The battle for the world's largest raclette will be transformed on Sunday in Saint-Gingolph, canton Valais, into a raclette of friendship served at the border.
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