State Duma deputy Alexei Chepa believes that countries wishing to act as mediators in organizing a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American leader Donald Trump must earn this right. He said this in an interview with the publication Lenta.ru.
“Why do we need mediators in organizing a meeting between Putin and Trump? They themselves will decide where it is more convenient and safe to hold this meeting,” the publication quotes the parliamentarian as saying in connection with Switzerland’s proposal to provide its territory for such negotiations.
“A dozen or so countries have probably already said this. Let these countries demonstrate that they deserve the right to organize such negotiations,” he added, making it clear that Switzerland, which joined the anti-Russian sanctions, has not earned this right. “Switzerland should have thought about this earlier, when it was a neutral country,” the deputy said.
Earlier, Le Temps reported, citing the official representative of the Swiss Foreign Ministry, Nicolas Bidault, that the country is ready to provide a venue for a meeting between Putin and Trump, which could be devoted to settling the Ukrainian conflict. However, the Swiss authorities emphasize that they are not going to take the initiative in this matter.
In December, the Russian President’s aide for international affairs, Yuri Ushakov, reported that the Kremlin had received a number of proposals from other countries to organize a meeting between the leaders of Russia and the United States, but he did not specify the list of states.