Switzerland ready to host Trump-Putin meeting

Switzerland has expressed its readiness to host a high-level meeting between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nicolas Bideau, head of communications at the Swiss Foreign Ministry, told Swiss newspaper Le Temps.

According to the publication, Bideau referenced the global peace summit held in Switzerland in June, saying that following the summit, Ukraine, Russia, and the United States have been regularly informed of Switzerland's willingness to facilitate diplomatic initiatives.

"Following the Bürgenstock summit, Ukraine, Russia and the United States were regularly informed of our willingness to support diplomatic efforts to find peace," Bideau said, as quoted by Le Temps.

Bideau’a address comes as the Kremlin signaled willingness to meet Trump to hammer out a deal on ending Russia's war against Ukraine. No concrete plans or date have been set, though Moscow said any face-to-face meeting would occur only after Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.

Trump vowed to bring Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table and swiftly end the full-scale war that nears its third anniversary. Earlier this week, he told reporters that arrangements for a meeting with Putin are underway.

The U.S. president-elect also said that specific peace proposals are still being worked out. A pitch leaked from Trump's team — freezing the front lines, postponing Ukraine's NATO accession by 20 years, and deploying European peacekeepers on the ground — has already been rejected by Russia.

However, one obstacle to a Trump-Putin meeting could be an arrest warrant that the International Criminal Court issued for Putin in March 2023, for allegedly overseeing the forced deportations of Ukrainian children to Russia.

According to the Ukrainian national database, Russia has forcibly deported over 19,500 Ukrainian children since the start of the full-scale war. Less than 400 have been brought back to Ukraine.

As a signatory to the Rome Statute, Switzerland is legally required to arrest Putin.

According to Le Temps, Bideau said the Federal Council has the authority to grant exceptions in situations involving peace negotiations.

The push for peace talks comes as both Kyiv and Moscow face mounting challenges connected to the ongoing war.

Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russia's advance in the east due to manpower shortages while the future of Western support grows uncertain under Trump. Chances of retaking the fifth of Ukraine's territory that Russia occupies appear increasingly slim, at least in the foreseeable future.

In turn, Russia is grappling with soaring inflation caused by record military spending, and its casualties are believed to range between 600,000-800,000 dead and wounded, exceeding all of Moscow's post-World War II conflicts combined.