© KEYSTONE/AP/Sergei Karpukhin
The Confederation resumes European sanctions against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. The Federal Council decided on Monday to freeze the assets of President Vladimir Putin and several of his ministers.
The Russian attack “is unacceptable, from the point of view of international, political and moral law”, declared the President of the Confederation Ignazio Casiss in front of the media. Seventy-five years after the Second World War, this Russian offensive on the European continent is an attack against sovereignty, democracy, civil society or freedom, he said.
Democratic states must be able to count on Switzerland. Today’s decision is a “difficult step” that the Federal Council is taking “with conviction, thoughtfully and unequivocally”, he continued.
Lavrov and oligarchs
This decision does not violate the right of neutrality and does not call into question the policy of good offices, repeated the Minister of Foreign Affairs on several occasions.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Michoustin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are among those targeted. Five Russian or Ukrainian personalities close to Vladimir Putin can no longer enter Switzerland, said Justice and Police Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, without giving their names.
On the other hand, the sector of raw materials, very active in Switzerland, is not concerned, the EU having not decided on sanctions in this area, indicated the Minister of Finance Ueli Maurer. The law allows Switzerland to take over European sanctions, but not to decide on its own sanctions, he explained.
Desire for transparency
According to him, the Confederation takes over all the measures decided by the EU, “there is not the slightest exception”. These sanctions can be implemented easily, he stressed. The assets of people on the EU lists are immediately frozen. These people will not be able to open new accounts in Switzerland.
The ordinance of the Federal Council will be revised again this week, as soon as we know the details of the European measures, specified the Federal Councilor. The government also prohibits the export of dual-use goods, civil and military, to Russia.
Moreover, the question does not arise whether the Confederation will participate in the exclusion of Russia from the Swift financial system. “Switzerland will support the decision,” he stressed. And to affirm that the Confederation intends to continue to be a transparent financial centre.
The ban on import, export and investment in relation to Crimea and Sevastopol, in force since 2014, has been extended to the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk which are no longer controlled by the Ukrainian government, a- he added.
Closed airspace
Switzerland has also closed its airspace to all flights from Russia and to all Russian aircraft, except flights for humanitarian, medical or diplomatic purposes. Certain Russian civil servants or entrepreneurs will also no longer be able to obtain visas under easier conditions. The 2009 agreement aimed at facilitating their obtaining is partially suspended.
The Federal Council is keeping an eye on the possible consequences for Switzerland’s security of the Russian attack in Ukraine. Defense Minister Viola Amherd spoke about energy supply, sensitive infrastructure and cyberattacks. On the other hand, it considers a nuclear attack “unlikely”.
Dispatch of humanitarian aid
Switzerland also reiterates its solidarity with Ukraine and its people. In the coming days, it will send 25 tons of basic necessities, worth 8 million francs, for people who have fled to Poland.
Ukrainians will also be able to enter Swiss soil without a visa and stay in the country for 90 days, Karin Keller-Sutter continued. In the case of refugees fleeing a war, they will not need to present a passport.
Their situation after the 90 days in question still remains to be settled, she continued. One solution would be to grant them an S status, created after the conflicts in the Balkans. Never used before, such a status offers temporary protection to its holder in times of acute crisis when the system is overloaded.