Switzerland will adopt further Russia sanctions, diplomat says

Switzerland will adopt any further sanctions against Russia agreed by the European Union, State Secretary Alexandre Fasel told SRF. Fasel represented Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Ireland, to which Switzerland was invited for the first time.

Fasel said there was a consensus at the meeting that Europe was experiencing an escalation. He accused Russia of escalating not only its war against Ukraine but also waging hybrid warfare against other European states. He said participants had clearly sensed an effort by Russia to divide Europe.

Switzerland has adopted the previous 20 sanctions packages, Fasel said. It is now implementing the 21st package and would also adopt a 22nd if one were agreed.

Fasel said he used a drawing known as the amoeba graphic to depict the current geopolitical situation. It shows three large, shapeless forms representing the United States, China and Russia, with the rest of the world, including Europe, winding between them.

He said countries such as Switzerland wanted to preserve their room for manoeuvre, maintain good relations with all sides and pursue their interests according to their own principles. For Switzerland, this meant first ensuring order and stability in Europe, which is its home market.

Fasel described securing access to the European single market through the new package of agreements with the EU as a prerequisite for Switzerland to remain open and able to act globally. He rejected claims that the package would undermine Swiss sovereignty, saying that entering into agreements in Switzerland’s interests was an expression of sovereignty.

He said Switzerland would decide through its own political processes whether to adopt new EU law. Rejecting it would trigger so-called compensatory measures intended to restore the balance of the agreement.

On the United States, Fasel said interest in Switzerland had not changed significantly under the Trump administration, but the means had. Washington was relying on tariffs, which Switzerland considered economically harmful. The two sides had negotiated a stable arrangement limiting Swiss tariffs to 15 percent and now wanted to set it out in a legally binding agreement.

Talks on the agreement are continuing. Fasel declined to predict the outcome, saying both sides needed to work on it in good faith and that political engagement had so far continued.