Bundestag president takes part in protest against Putin

At conference in Geneva

Protest against the appearance of Putin confidant: Klöckner involved

Julia Klöckner takes part in the world conference of parliamentary president in Geneva. There she protested against a well -known Russian participant.

At an international conference of parliamentary presidents in Geneva, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner and representatives of other EU countries left the hall in protest against the Russian delegation. The background is the appearance of Valentina Matwijenko, the chairman of the Federation Council and thus head of the Russian parliamentary house.

Matwijenko is considered the most influential politician in Russia and stands on western sanction lists. In the past, she had repeatedly publicly opposed the Russian attack war against Ukraine.

The event in Geneva is organized by the Interparliamentary Union (IPU), which holds it every five years to promote interparliamentary dialogue. The host is Switzerland this year. The country said that exceptional permits for entry would usually be granted for international conferences – also for sanctioned people.

Klöckner justified her protest with a sharp criticism of the Russian warfare: “With his war of attack against Ukraine, Russia is on international law with feet,” she said. The attempt by the Russian delegation to “operate a perpetrator-victim reversal” is decidedly rejected.

The visit of the Russian delegates in Geneva are seen in parts of Russian media as a diplomatic success. Matwijenko had already criticized the Ukrainian government on a smaller appearance at the conference on Tuesday. The Duma MP Leonid Sluzki and Pjotr Tolstoy, who also like western sanction lists, were also present.