Foreign press criticises Swiss neutrality in Ukraine war

International media headlines have been critical of Switzerland this year. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The international media has been critical of Switzerland’s political neutrality in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a study of news headlines has found.

Switzerland was at first hesitant to apply sanctions to Russia but eventually mirrored those of the European Union. Despite criticising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Alpine state has insisted on a neutral stance.

Switzerland has also faced negative headlines by refusing to allow the re-export of ammunition to Ukraine via Germany.

“A number of reports, especially in the European press, were critical of Switzerland,” said the foreign ministry agency Presence Switzerland on Thursday.

“Neutrality was associated more strongly with Switzerland than in previous years, with responses tending to be more critical.”

More column inches were devoted to the fate of struggling bank Credit Suisse and to the “Suisse Secrets” leak of sensitive bank data.

Tennis star Roger Feder’s retirement and a planned radioactive waste dump near to the German border also drew strong reactions from the foreign media.

But Presence Switzerland found that public perception in 18 other countries was often more favourable than press coverage.

“Switzerland’s landscape, traditional products such as chocolate, cheese and watches, its financial services sector, a strong and stable economy, wealth and a high standard of living featured highly in people’s responses,” it concluded.