Swiss president arrives in Kyiv to discuss Ukraine food security
Президент Швейцарії Ален Берсе. Фото: Ален Берсе / ТвіттерФото: Ален Берсе / твіттер
President of the Swiss Confederation Alain Berset has arrived in Kyiv today to participate in the international food security summit and meet with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
His visit will focus on the impact of Russia's war on world food security and Switzerland's long-term support for Ukraine, Berset said on X.
The president expressed his belief that joining the EU sanctions against Russia does not contradict its policy of neutrality, unlike the situation if the country helped to evade them.
Arrival in Kyiv where I will be attending the international summit on food security today and meeting President @ZelenskyyUa. The focus is on the impact of Russia's war of aggression on 🌎 food security and Switzerland's long-term support for 🇺🇦.
— Alain Berset (@alain_berset) November 25, 2023
Berset reminded that Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine has violated all principles of international law under the UN Charter.
This war should not be seen as a purely regional conflict and a problem of European scale, he noted.
"It should not be viewed as a continental (European) matter, it is a matter of the whole world, it concerns everyone."
Switzerland has also called for the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. In recent months, 38 countries have supported this initiative, including France, Germany, Norway, Guatemala, Japan, and Canada.
The Swiss Federal Council clarified that the country's neutrality is compatible with the EU sanctions against Russia but not with NATO membership.
Sticking to its neutrality policy, Bern does not supply its weapons for warfare or provide other military assistance. It blocks the re-export of its weapons to third countries, including the Ukraine war.
Since February 2022, Switzerland has provided Ukraine with only financial and humanitarian aid, but in May 2023, Bern took a step toward supplying the state with weapons.
However, the lower house of the Swiss parliament rejected a bill known as "Lex Ukraine," which would have allowed third countries to transfer Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine.
