Ukrainian Foreign Ministry criticises participation of Russian Federation Council chairwoman in Swiss conference

Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, has criticised the participation of Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council (the upper house of the Federal Assembly, the Russian parliament), in a conference of parliamentary speakers in Geneva.

Source: European Pravda, with reference to Tykhyi on X (Twitter)

Details: Tykhyi said Matviyenko's place is "in the dock, not at international conferences" and her admission to Geneva "is disgraceful and should never have happened".

"The Genocidal Matviyenko bears personal responsibility for the crime of aggression and all subsequent atrocities after publicly endorsing the use of Russian armed forces on Ukrainian territory," he added.

Tykhyi called on participants of the conference in Geneva not to shake Matviyenko's hand, "which is covered in Ukrainian blood".

"We will continue to work tirelessly on another trip for Valentina Matviyenko – one she truly deserves – to The Hague, where the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine will soon begin its work," he concluded.

Background: 

• Matviyenko arrived in Geneva yesterday (28 July) as part of a Russian delegation to participate in the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament and other events of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
• Both Matviyenko and other Russian participants in the conference are under EU sanctions, which Switzerland has also imposed.
• Recently, the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service warned that the threat of espionage in the country is high amid growing global instability, with the main threats coming from Russia and China.
• A Swiss media outlet reported that one-fifth of Russian spies in Europe are operating in Switzerland.

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