“How can you be neutral?”: Andriy Melnyk speaks plain text in the “Club” Further rioting in the West Bank – three dead after drone strike

Andriy Melnyk is known for his clear language. During his time as German ambassador in Berlin – the post he held before being appointed deputy foreign minister of Ukraine – he repeatedly caused a stir with vehement demands for arms shipments. He also criticized German politics in such a way that exponents often felt that they had been stepped on.

It was all the more surprising that a moment during Melnyk’s SRF “Club” appearance on Tuesday night was the most meaningful moment when he said nothing.

But more on that later and from the beginning: Under the title “Ukraine aid: cowardly Switzerland?” moderator Barbara Lüthi discussed two main topics with her guests on Tuesday evening: the Interpretation of Swiss neutrality in the war between Russia and Ukraine and the Swiss role in hiding and seizing Russian oligarch funds.

In addition to Andriy Melnyk, the “Club” discussed:

Andriy Melnyk was polite and very careful in his statements. He made no request or concern without praising or appreciating Switzerland for what it has already done for Ukraine. For example, when moderator Lüthi Melnyk asked about his take on the Swiss interpretation of neutrality:

He even agreed with SVP national councilor Alfred Heer, who previously stated that Switzerland had been neutral for over 200 years and had done well. According to Melnyk, Switzerland is rightly proud of what it has achieved and of the wealth it has managed to create.

But then the Ukrainian made it clear for the first time: the situation in Ukraine is very different from that of countless wars in the past, in which Switzerland has remained.

After all, the need of the hour is to get creative and think about how to protect the Ukrainian population – and that’s only with ammunition, Melnyk alluded to the indirect arms shipments blocked by Switzerland.

There was approval for this, including from middle councilor Pirmin Bischof: “This war is extraordinary. It is the declared goal of one great nation to wipe out another,” said Bischof. And further:

SVP exponent Alfred Heer took the position that the Russian offensive war should be absolutely condemned. Morally, he is definitely on the side of Ukraine, which is a victim of this war.

But one cannot undermine the rule of law for moral reasons, Heer said of the arms deliveries. “We cannot play morality against the rule of law. As sad as it is, we cannot overthrow the rule of law in a democracy.”

SP councilor Jon Pult told Heer he thought he was on Ukraine’s side. But of course that does not apply to his entire party: “I believe you recognize that and see Ukraine as a victim, but there are completely different figures in your party. Roger Köppel was in Moscow. There are people in the SVP who are sympathetic to the Putin’s regime.”

Time for Barbara Lüthi to bring Melnyk back into the discussion. She wanted to know what he thought of the actions of the SVP faction when they left parliament during Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent speech.

Melynk again replied politely but clearly:

He does believe that Switzerland is capable of finding such a “creative solution” when it comes to weapons. Contrary to popular belief, Switzerland also plays an important role when it comes to arms, Melnyk said, referring to the Swiss arms industry’s multibillion-dollar exports.

Melnyk also made his position clear on the second major topic discussed in the group, the confiscation of Russian oligarch funds, which are hidden through Switzerland, among others. The Swiss National Council has recently refrained from creating a task force specialized in tracing these funds. Melnik about this:

Opinions in the group again diverged on the extent of Switzerland’s role in hiding these funds. For Tamedia journalist Oliver Zihlmann, who has already been able to expose such hidden money flows with Swiss involvement, one thing is clear:

According to Zihlmann, global networks are being set up here in Switzerland to hide oligarch funds. Switzerland is a world power when it comes to structuring such networks. If you look at all this data from the 1970s, it becomes clear what a major role Swiss banks, lawyers and receivers have played and still play.

Bishop and army then took the position that there was no need to bash Switzerland. Switzerland would also do a lot to detect these networks. In that respect, according to Bischof, people are also a world power.

Melnyk acknowledged Switzerland’s commitment, but he hoped the remaining loopholes would be closed. Polite and attentive again.

Melnyk only left this diplomatic diligence once – to get back to the start. It was when philosopher Katja Gentinetta proclaimed her opinion on neutrality.

It seemed as if Gentinetta Melnyk was expressing unfiltered thoughts diplomatically: In the background, the Ukrainian deputy foreign minister simply pressed his lips together and nodded in silence—saying more than he had said verbally before.