“Negotiations on this issue have ended,” the Swiss official said. However, Russia has not yet given its consent to this.
According to foreign affairs spokesman Pierre-Alin Elchinger, Switzerland can represent Ukraine’s diplomatic interests in Russia, since there is currently no direct contact between Moscow and Kiev. Elchinger stressed that Bern has actively offered its goodwill role to the parties, which includes, among other things, that Switzerland can host the meetings and provide expert support for potential negotiations.
“As far as the embassy is aware, there has been no contact between the authorities of the Russian side and the (Swiss) Federation on this matter,” the Russian diplomatic mission in Bern said in response to the Russian news agency TASSSZ.
“As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated earlier, Russia is not ready to deal with offers of mediation regarding negotiations with Ukraine that originate from countries that have joined the sanctions against Russia,” the embassy added.
“We believe that Switzerland’s neutrality has been well-known undermined by the fact that the EU joined all seven packages of sanctions – illegal and anti-Russian – of the European Union, effectively taking a position in the conflict,” the embassy said.
He also noted that the Russian government added Switzerland to the list of hostile countries on March 5, 2022.
Kyiv severed diplomatic relations with Moscow after the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
Cover photo: Shutterstock
