"Matviyenko's place is in the dock". Foreign Ministry reacts to Putin's ally's trip to Switzerland

The place of the head of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matvienko – in the dock, not at international events. About this said Ukrainian diplomatic spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi after the visit of the head of the upper house of the Russian parliament to the World Conference of parliamentary leaders in Switzerland.

"Matviyenko's place is in the dock, not at international conferences. Her admission to Geneva is shameful and should not have happened. The genocidal Matviyenko is personally responsible for the crime of aggression and all subsequent atrocities after publicly approving the deployment of Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

According to him, Ukraine calls on all conference participants who "have at least some self-respect" to avoid shaking hands with Matvienko, who is "covered in Ukrainian blood."

Tykhyi announced that Kyiv would continue to work on bringing the Russian official to justice.

"We will continue to work tirelessly on another trip for Valentyna Matviyenko, which she truly deserves, to The Hague, where she will soon begin her work Special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine", – said the Foreign Ministry spokesman.

• Deputy speaker Kondratyuk, who is attending the same conference, called Matviyenko's participation "appeasement of the aggressor" and hypocrisy. According to the Ukrainian politician, she learned about the occupier's involvement on her way to the West.
• Matviyenko is a native of Ukraine who is one of the main associates of the Russian dictator. In the spring of 2014, the Federation Council, headed by her, gave Putin illegal "permission" to invade Ukraine. In February 2022, the invader also supported a full-scale war. SSU reported suspicion to the official on a number of articles.
• Matvienko and other members of the Russian delegation that arrived in Switzerland are under sanctions from that country, the European Union, and the United States.
• Switzerland allows participants in the activities of international institutions that have their headquarters in its territory to enter the country.