The offers from Bern and Belgrade come as US President-elect Donald Trump seeks to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine.
Switzerland and Serbia have both offered to host a potential meeting between incoming US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, several days after the possibility of such talks was raised.
Trump, who will become in charge of the White House again next Monday, said last week that his team were working to schedule a meeting with Putin.
The Republican leader hopes to use the occasion to make good on his promise to end Russia’s ongoing all-out war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that it had already expressed its willingness to host peace talks.
An obstacle to the potential meeting could be an outstanding International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Putin for allegedly overseeing the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Although Switzerland would be legally obliged to arrest Putin, Nicolas Bideau, the head of communications for the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs, said the Swiss authorities can grant exceptions for peace negotiations.
Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on Sunday that his country would be an “extremely suitable” venue for such a meeting between Trump and Putin because of both men’s popularity there.
Speaking to the Serbian public broadcaster RTS, Vučić, who presents his country as a neutral in the struggle between Russia and the West, claimed Trump has more supporters in Serbia than in any other country outside the US.
“There is no country that can compare to Serbia in terms of the level of support for President Trump,” he said.
“And on the other hand, it is a country where President Putin is still very, very popular,” added Vučić, who has refused to join international sanctions against Moscow in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
The Serbian president added that his country was also the ideal venue because it is not part of military alliances such as NATO.
Trump claimed last week that “Putin wants to meet”. The Kremlin responded by saying that it was open to talks.
Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz confirmed that “preparations are under way” for a meeting between Trump and Putin.
He said that the format of the meeting, including the possibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s participation, had not been set.
Waltz, however, expects at least a phone call between Trump and Putin in “the coming days and weeks.”
The US president-elect has vowed to bring Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table, at one point claiming he could end the war within a day.
Trump, who has been critical of US aid to Ukraine, has sparked concern among allies and security experts.
Ukrainian officials are alarmed at the possibility that Washington, the country’s single biggest donor, could reduce or stop providing aid.
The outgoing Biden administration is giving Ukraine as much military support as it can, including a $500 million (€490m) weapons package – aimed at putting Kyiv in the strongest possible position for potential negotiations to end the war. /euronews
