Russian official Matviyenko attended a conference in Geneva despite EU sanctions

• Matviyenko attended Geneva, regardless of EU sanctions.
• Italy and France granted permission for her flight.
• The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Matviyenko's visit to Switzerland.

This is reported by Ukrayinska Pravda, RBC Ukraine.

The head of the Federation Council of Russia, Valentina Matviyenko, who is under EU sanctions, managed to attend a conference in Geneva thanks to permission from Italy and France for her flight through their airspace.

Details: According to online flight tracking services, Matviyenko's plane flew through Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea, then entered Italian airspace before arriving in Geneva on Monday, and returned to Moscow via French and Italian airspace.

Bloomberg reported from Rome that Italy allowed Matviyenko's plane to enter its airspace at the request of the Swiss government. Before granting permission, Rome consulted with Paris, which also received a request for the flight.

The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responding to Bloomberg's inquiry, stated that exceptions may be made to the travel ban, "including for flights that are humanitarian, medical, or diplomatic in nature."

The EU has banned Russian aircraft from entering its airspace since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Matviyenko led the Russian delegation at the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, which took place in Geneva.

Reaction of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: The spokesman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Georgiy Tikhiy, noted that Matviyenko's place "is in court, not at international conferences," and that her admission to Geneva "should not have happened." During Matviyenko's speech in Geneva, dozens of conference participants walked out in protest.

Tags: Russia/Politics