Zelenskyy plans his visit to Switzerland next week

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, may come to Switzerland for at least two days with a visit.

Source: the Tages-Anzeiger media outlet with reference to several independent sources informed about the plans of the visit; European Pravda

Details: The Ukrainian president considers going to Bern with a visit on 15 January before his speech in Davos at the World Economic Forum (WEF) which will be held on 15-19 January.

According to the sources of Tages-Anzeiger, the visit has been planned since mid-December. The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has neither confirmed nor denied this information.

Sources from the federal administration note that the planned visit of the Ukrainian president will likely not be confirmed until the last moment.

Nevertheless, the publication stated that whether Zelesnkyy is able to come to Switzerland next week or not will likely depend on the military situation in Ukraine.

The final decision on Zelenskyy’s visit to Bern and Davos is yet to be made. A Ukrainian top official stated that the discussion is still ongoing.

Zelenskyy’s could also deliver his speech via a video call, since he already talked to the WEF participants this way last year.

The planned programme of Zelenskyy’s visit to Bern is so far unknown. The meeting may be held in a country mansion Lon in Kehrsatz, five kilometres away from the centre of Bern, where the Federal Council accepts foreign guests. It is easier for the security services to surround this location than the centre of the capital.

Background:

• Earlier the Federal Council of Switzerland announced the allocation of additional 11.8 million Swiss francs (€12.5 million) to help Ukrainians during the winter period.
• Before that the lower chamber of the Swiss Parliament following the upper Council of States adopted an amendment to legislation which mitigates demands to armament export.
• In theory, the new amendment will allow Switzerland to approve re-export of armament to Ukraine but neither its initiators nor the Federal Government announced such intentions.
• In September, the National Council of Switzerland rejected the proposition of the Council of States to change the rules of the re-export of armament to countries participating in military conflicts.

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