Night workers of diplomacy The invisible men behind the Geneva peace talks

Diplomats from Washington and Kiev landed in Geneva at the weekend without the general public knowing about it. Behind the surprising peace talks was a team of barely visible helpers. blue News takes a look at those involved in the landing of the state planes.

On Sunday, a meeting took place in Geneva that had hardly been on anyone's radar until shortly beforehand: representatives of the USA and Ukraine unexpectedly traveled to Switzerland for peace talks. A diplomatic maneuver that astounded even experienced observers.

The "Aargauer Zeitung" reconstructed how it all came about. According to the newspaper, a man was pulling the strings behind the scenes: Gabriel Lüchinger, SVP politician and local councillor in the town of Herzogenbuchsee BE with a population of 7500, has been acting as the Federal Council's special envoy to the USA since April 2025.

It was both Washington and Kiev that explicitly wanted Switzerland as neutral ground and Geneva as a center of international diplomacy.

Rubio's people had to fill out a form

However, little is known about who made this meeting in the Swiss administration's engine room possible. blue News has researched which authorities have to be involved before a special diplomatic flight even touches Swiss soil - as was the case on Sunday morning, when the US government's Boeing 757 touched down in Geneva shortly before 9.30 a.m. with Foreign Minister Marco Rubio on board.

Here's how it works: if a state such as the USA or Ukraine wants to initiate a secret or sensitive meeting, it can request Switzerland as a "facilitator". Switzerland then not only provides premises and security, but also acts as a small-scale mediator ("mediation light", as it is called in official documents) and creates the framework for talks that would hardly be possible elsewhere.

As soon as it is clear that these "good offices" are expected from Bern, the operational work begins: the foreign politicians and diplomats have to get to Switzerland. This is usually not done on a scheduled flight, but on an official state flight. The difference lies not only in the plane, but also in the bureaucratic structure.

Submit form to the Federal Office during opening hours

Clearance is required for a landing. However, unlike with regular passenger aircraft, it is not the air traffic controllers who issue the clearance, but officials from the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). During office hours - 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. - it processes the written requests from foreign embassies and authorities. Outside these hours, the Air Force takes over the work. They check whether a landing could raise problems under international law or even serve to prepare hostilities.

Out of consideration for diplomatic interests, the FOCA does not wish to disclose how often requests are rejected. One thing is certain: At the weekend, a whole series of high-ranking emissaries were given the green light - including US Secretary of State Rubio and Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky.

Air traffic controllers fulfill flight plan even at night

As soon as the diplomatic landing permit is issued, it is sent to Skyguide, the civil air navigation service provider. The air traffic controllers then only have to ensure that the aircraft can land at the approved time. For diplomatic or humanitarian missions, planes are also allowed to land outside of regular operating hours - the Rubio plane could just as easily have landed at three o'clock in the morning.

In Geneva and Zurich, two air traffic controllers maintain operations at night. However, it sometimes happens that this two-man crew cannot be maintained at short notice, says skyguide spokesman Vladi Barrosa to blue News: "In the case of short-term sickness absences, it has also happened that only one person covers the night."

The approach of Rubio's Boeing, however, went according to standard procedure. Unlike state visits at presidential level - such as Donald Trump's - the airport did not have to be temporarily closed or the aircraft additionally separated. A long working day later, the US Secretary of State took off again at 00:31, around 90 minutes after the official closing time of Geneva Airport.

Barrosa comments dryly: "The night shift air traffic controllers were on duty in the Geneva tower and handled the take-off. For our controllers, that's one more plane."