The Swiss understanding of neutrality is causing a headache in Ukraine: The Ukrainians do not understand how Switzerland interprets its neutrality, says Swiss ambassador to Ukraine, Claude Wild. “Sometimes there is irritation.”
Following the renewed rejection of Germany’s request for the supply of Swiss ammunition to Ukraine, bloggers sharply criticized Switzerland, the ambassador said in an interview published Monday by Arcinfo and Le Nouvelliste.
According to Wild, you have to keep explaining the position and neutrality of Switzerland to the Ukrainians. The best answer is what Switzerland does on the ground: “The more efficient our humanitarian aid is, the better we are understood.”
«Ukraine is teaching the whole world a lesson»
The ambassador, who was taken out of the country by special forces of the Swiss army in late February when Russian soldiers threatened Kiev, returned to his post in the Ukrainian capital in May. He is now working on Switzerland’s various emergency aid campaigns for Ukraine.
The Russian invasion messed things up, “but about two weeks after the fighting started, everything was working amazingly well,” says Wild. Even when the Swiss embassy was closed, local staff made “huge efforts” to facilitate the movement of humanitarian aid.
“Ukraine has taught the whole world a lesson in resilience. The local representatives took matters into their own hands,” emphasized the diplomat. (SDA/kes)
Source: Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
