The demonstrators gathered on Helvetiaplatz shortly after 6pm. They then marched through the city with banners and Ukraine flags to the Rathausbrücke bridge, where a final rally with various speeches took place. According to estimates by a Keystone SDA photographer, around 2,000 people were present.
The event was organised by the Helvetia For Ukraine association – to send a signal of solidarity with Ukraine. Also for “Freedom and justice. And for light and against darkness”, as the association wrote in an Instagram post.
The war has been raging for 1,095 days. Simply watching lives being destroyed by bombs and missiles is not enough. “We must act,” said the organisers.
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Around 200 people also came together in Lausanne to express their solidarity with Ukraine. Help for Ukraine is more important than ever in view of Donald Trump’s re-election as US president and the rise of right-wing populist and far-right parties, was the tenor of the speeches on Place du 14 juin. The security of Europe is at stake.
Participants at the rally lit candles and observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the war.
President Karin Keller-Sutter had already pledged further support for Ukraine at the Support Ukraine Summit 2025 in Kiev. The goal remains a just and lasting peace.
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Swiss president reiterates country’s support for Ukraine
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President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter reaffirmed Switzerland’s support for Ukraine on Monday at a summit in Kiev to mark the third anniversary of the war. The objective remains a just and lasting peace, she said.
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