Swiss and Russian foreign ministers meet in New York

Neither Sergei Lavrov (left) or Ignazio Cassis shed light on the topics of their conversation. © Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has met with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, a week after Switzerland offered to host a peace summit on Ukraine. 

Cassis spoke to Lavrov in New York on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. 

+ Could a Swiss-hosted summit bring peace to Ukraine?

“So far so good,” said Lavrov when Cassis asked him how he was doing, according to images posted on social networks by the Russian Foreign Ministry. “We discussed several important issues”, Cassis posted on social media – without specifying which ones. 

Last week, Moscow had rejected the scenario of a World Peace Summit that Switzerland had undertaken to organise with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Bern is “on the side of the law,” said the President of the Confederation, Viola Amherd, in response to this criticism. 

In an interview on Monday with the American channel CBS, Lavrov estimated for his part that Moscow was ready to listen to those who do not use Ukraine for a war against Russia.  

In New York, Cassis has met several counterparts, including that of Turkey, a country which has worked as an intermediary since the start of the war.  

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