The Swiss Foreign Ministry expressed its readiness to hold talks between Blinken and Lavrov in the country
Photo: Pavel Bednyakov / RIA Novosti
Switzerland is ready to host a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. A similar readiness was expressed by the official representative of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the country, Pierre-Alain Elchinger, RIA Novosti reports.
The diplomat said that Switzerland is ready to offer its services in organizing negotiations if they are useful and desirable. “This also includes acting as a host or helping to organize discussions and meetings,” he said.
At the same time, Elchinger did not provide information on whether the Swiss Foreign Ministry received requests to organize a meeting of diplomats. He attributed this to privacy concerns.
Earlier it became known about Finland's readiness to provide a platform for negotiations between Lavrov and Blinken. Finnish President Sauli Niiniste said that if Helsinki were asked to provide such services, the Finnish authorities would agree. Blinken suggested that Lavrov hold a new meeting in Europe next week to discuss ways to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine.
