Swiss reaction regarding, Attack on the Minsk Agreement

Ukraine-Russia Conflict

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern (FDFA) condemned Russia’s recognition of the Ukrainian regions in Luhansk and Donetsk as independent people’s republics on Twitter. The recognition is an attack on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and the Minsk Agreement.

Russia should comply with international obligations and revise its decision. But what will Switzerland do if its western partners impose sanctions on Russia?

EU is likely to influence Swiss behavior

Should the EU now issue sanctions against Russia, this should also affect Switzerland’s behavior, says SRF correspondent Sebastian Ramspeck: “As soon as the EU has issued sanctions that are legally binding, the Federal Council will discuss.”

“I assume that he will proceed in the same way as in 2014 with the Crimean annexation. There were sanctions from the EU (…), and the Federal Council said at the time: We will not adopt these sanctions one-to-one in Swiss law, but we will make sure that they are not circumvented via Switzerland, »explains Ramspeck. According to the correspondent, should a person in the EU expect their account to be blocked, Switzerland will see to it that this money cannot be quickly withdrawn via Switzerland to a Swiss account.

Clear votes from politicians

The Swiss embassy in Kyiv tweeted that it fully supports Ukraine. The recognition of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions as independent people’s republics is a violation of international law and a threat to world peace.

Bernese National Councilor Christa Markwalder (FDP) is a member of the National Council’s Foreign Policy Committee. She is a member of the parliamentary friendship group Switzerland-Ukraine, castigated Russia’s most recent political maneuver. Russia’s attack on Ukraine is once again a blatant violation of international law. Switzerland and the West should now show their colors.

Balthasar Glättli, party president of the Greens and member of the State Political Commission, sees Russia’s attacks. He threats in eastern Ukraine as a threat to democracy and the rule of law, as he writes on Twitter. In order to prevent further escalation, Switzerland, with the EU, must be ready to take tough economic and diplomatic sanctions. As the site of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline in Zug, (connects Europe with Russia), Switzerland has a special responsibility.

GLP National Councilor Beat Flach is member of the Security Policy Commission. He is convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be satisfied with two small Ukrainian border provinces. He wants to destabilize Europe while he still has the economic means to do so. What Putin once had, he would not give back.

(Source: SRF)