Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on 19 August that Switzerland would grant Russian President Vladimir Putin temporary immunity from arrest if he enters the country to take part in a Ukraine peace conference. Cassis told reporters that cabinet guidelines adopted in 2024 permit Switzerland to shield individuals subject to international arrest warrants when their visit is strictly for officially sponsored peace negotiations, underscoring Bern’s bid to host prospective talks in Geneva. Putin has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2023 on war-crimes allegations over the deportation of Ukrainian children. As an ICC member state, Switzerland would ordinarily be required to detain him, but Cassis stressed that the exemption would apply only for a formally convened summit and not for private travel. The offer bolsters Switzerland’s traditional neutral-mediator role as European and U.S. leaders explore venues for a potential first meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since the war began.