Criminal complaint over leak of Swiss president’s Ukraine itinerary

Swiss president and foreign minister Ignazio Cassis travelled to Kyiv, where he met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on October 20. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

The Swiss foreign ministry has filed a criminal complaint over an apparent leak to the media on minister Ignazio Cassis’s recent visit to Ukraine.

His ministry on Friday confirmed the report by Swiss daily Le TempsExternal link concerning a complaint to the Attorney General’s office for alleged violation of official secrecy. But the foreign ministry said it could not comment further because of the ongoing investigation.

Against the background of war and insecurity in Ukraine, the October 20 trip had been prepared discreetly and foreign ministry colleagues informed only the day before, according to Le Temps. However, the foreign ministry noted that a Swiss daily had been informed about the itinerary. It believes this could potentially have comprised the security of Cassis and his delegation.

Cassis arrived by train from Poland for the surprise visit. A visit to Kyiv by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier planned for the same day had been postponed at short notice for security reasons.

Foreign minister Cassis, who also holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, travelled on October 20 to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv where he met with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for talks focusing on reconstruction and humanitarian aid. Cassis told Swiss public broadcaster SRF that he had felt safe in Kyiv and on the train journey from Poland. “I see that the city unfortunately has wounds from the last attacks, but it still seems to be in a stable and calm state,” he said. “But of course in a war zone, there is never no risk.”