Russia says Switzerland cannot represent its interests in Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier helps a family flee their home on the outskirts of Kyiv in March Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Russia has turned down a Swiss offer to represent Ukrainian interests in Russia and Moscow’s interests in Ukraine because it no longer considers Switzerland a neutral country.

Switzerland has a long diplomatic tradition of acting as an intermediary between countries whose relations have broken down, but Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Ivan Nechayev said on Thursday this was not possible in the current situation.

“The Swiss were indeed interested in our opinion on the possible representation of Ukraine’s interests in Russia and Russia’s in Ukraine,” Nechayev said. “We very clearly answered that Switzerland had unfortunately lost its status of a neutral state and could not act either as an intermediary or a representative. Bern has joined illegal Western sanctions against Russia.”

Switzerland has mirrored nearly all the sanctions that the European Union imposed on Russia over its military intervention in Ukraine.

On Wednesday the Swiss foreign ministry confirmed that the outline of a protecting power mandate had been worked out – on condition that Russia approved.

While the details of the agreement are secret, the primary objective would be to ensure that Ukrainians living in Russia could benefit from consular services provided by the Swiss Embassy in Moscow, Swiss public radio, RTS, saidExternal link on Wednesday.

Such a mandate, which has been discussed since the Russian invasion in February, would fit into the Swiss tradition – as a neutral country – of acting as diplomatic go-between when states partially or fully break off relations.

Switzerland currently carries out several similar mandates: sometimes representing one party to a dispute (such as US interests in Iran) and sometimes both (such as between Russia and Georgia). Until 2015 it represented the interests of the US in Cuba and vice versa.

However, after Switzerland decided in February to follow EU sanctions on Russia, Russia added Switzerland to a list of “unfriendly” nations. It reckons the country “damaged its neutrality” in applying the measures, RTS said.