Switzerland must stop commodity trade with Russia

Switzerland is a major power with influence in this area. Trade finances the Russian war machine, Trede said in an interview with the Tamedia newspapers. “We are still financing Putin’s war every day.”

Discussions about arms transfers only distracted from the opaque trade in goods and from Switzerland’s failure to resolutely freeze the funds of oligarchs. Swiss war material would make no difference to Ukraine, Trede said. “The three pending requests from Germany, Spain and Denmark are about 12,000 rounds of ammunition, two anti-aircraft guns and 20 old tanks. Ukraine will not win a battle with a few Swiss weapons.”

Permission to pass on the war material, on the other hand, meant the end of military neutrality. That would also prevent Switzerland from taking on a protective power mandate. “Such good offices only work if we remain reliable in diplomacy in our military neutral role,” Trede said. Despite Switzerland adopting the EU sanctions, Russia has not resigned its mandate as a protecting power in Georgia.

The proposal from the responsible committee of the National Council on Tuesday, which includes a UN decision as a condition for disclosure, is “grit in the eyes of the population,” Trede said. “Because only the UN Security Council can make legally binding decisions. But he will never do that, because Russia has veto power here.” In such a case, however, according to the Commission’s proposal, it would be sufficient for the UN General Assembly to declare by a two-thirds majority a violation of the international ban on the use of detect violence.

(SDA)

Source:Blick