Czech parliamentary leader walks out during Russian delegate’s speech at Geneva Conference

Several participants, including Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová, walked out in protest during a speech by Russian Federation Council Chair Valentina Matviyenko at a Geneva parliamentary conference on Tuesday.

Pekarová Adamová said on social media she refused to legitimize the "lies" of the Kremlin regime. She called Matviyenko personally responsible for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, noting her support for military action on Ukrainian soil.

Matviyenko, a close ally of President Putin and under Western sanctions, was attending a summit of parliamentary leaders. Despite Ukraine’s boycott calls, Switzerland allowed the Russian delegation in under an agreement with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, temporarily lifting sanctions for the event.