Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Russian Federation Council, who is subject to EU sanctions, was able to attend a peace conference in Switzerland after Italy and France granted permission for a Russian government plane to fly over their airspace. According to an online flight tracking service, the plane carrying Matvienko flew over Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea, then arrived in Geneva on Monday via Italy and flew to Moscow on Wednesday via French and Italian airspace.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Matvienko for her involvement in the war against Ukraine. However, despite this, Italian officials allowed Matvienko’s plane to enter their airspace at the request of members of the Swiss government. The Italian government consulted with the French authorities, who also received a request for the flight, before granting permission. In response to a request from the publication, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded that exceptions to the entry ban can be made, “in particular for flights carried out for humanitarian, medical, or diplomatic purposes.”
A Russian delegation led by Federation Council Chairwoman Matviyenko, an accomplice of Putin, arrived in Switzerland to participate in the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament and other events of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
However, the dictator’s servant’s speech was unsuccessful. Dozens of participants in the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva left the hall during Matvienko’s speech.
