Swiss summit divides: neutrality under fire amid Ukraine conference
"The conference will achieve nothing," Nils Fiechter, chief of the Swiss Peoples' Party youth wing, told Russian broadcaster RT on the eve of the talks, in comments picked up by Swiss media on Sunday. "The whole thing is an absolute farce and an embarrassment for our country."
Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
A leading Swiss right-wing nationalist panned a summit his country was hosting in a bid to pressure Russia to end its war on Ukraine as an "embarrassment", reflecting the view that the talks are damaging for Switzerland's traditional neutrality.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Sabine Siebold, Reuters
Русский
ru
Саммит по Украине привел к новым дебатам о нейтралитете Швейцарии
The right-wing Swiss Peoples’ Party, Switzerland’s largest party, says neutrality is an integral part of Switzerland’s prosperity, and it has initiated a referendum to embed the principle in the constitution.
Leading figures in the party have argued Switzerland should not have hosted this weekend’s summit without Russia, and Nils Fiechter, chief of the Swiss Peoples’ Party youth wing, delivered a damning verdict on the talks to Russian broadcaster RT.
“The conference will achieve nothing,” Fiechter told RT on the eve of the talks, in comments picked up by Swiss media on Sunday. “The whole thing is an absolute farce and an embarrassment for our country.”
The summit being held at the Bürgenstock luxury resort has sparked heated debate over whether Switzerland should abandon its neutrality, a position deeply rooted in the Swiss psyche.
Western powers and other nations at the conference were on Sunday seeking consensus on condemning Russia’s invasion and underscoring the war’s human cost.
Fiechter said the Swiss government had “blindly” bowed to international pressure by not inviting Russia.
“Switzerland is … allowing Ukraine to dictate who may or may not be invited to this conference and it is allowing it to turn into a Zelenskiy show,” he told RT. “Now we are in danger, and it’s a great danger, of Switzerland allowing itself to be drawn into a world war.”
Switzerland agreed to host the conference at the behest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Bern says Russia must be involved in the process but justified not inviting it on the grounds that Moscow had repeatedly said it had no interest in taking part.
The Kremlin has described Switzerland as “openly hostile” and unfit to mediate in peace-building efforts, in particular because of its adoption of EU sanctions against Moscow. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, two of Europe’s other historically neutral states, Sweden and Finland, have both joined NATO.
More
Debate
Hosted by:
Bruno Kaufmann
What is the future for neutrality?
Neutrality is in the dock. Does it have a future? And how should it be defined?
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
Thieves steal precious metals from Swiss watchmaker
This content was published on
Thieves raided the factory of the Swiss watch supplier Werthanor in Le Locle in northeastern Switzerland on Thursday morning. They fled across the border to France with precious metals.
Swiss court confirms guilty verdicts against Hells Angels and Bandidos bikers
This content was published on
Bern's High Court on Thursday confirmed guilty verdicts against six Hells Angels and Bandidos bikers involved in a violent clash outside the Swiss capital in 2019.
China rejects report on Tibetans and Uyghurs in Switzerland
This content was published on
The Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday rejected a Swiss government report suggesting that China has been cracking down on Tibetans and Uighurs living in Switzerland.
Fleur Jaeggy wins 2025 Grand Prix for Swiss Literature award
This content was published on
Zurich-born writer Fleur Jaeggy is the 2025 winner of the Grand Prix for Swiss Literature, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) announced on Thursday.
USAID funding: Swiss aid groups urge foreign minister to act
This content was published on
Swiss aid agencies and churches have urged Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis to take action following the freeze to funds disbursed by USAID.
Switzerland to clamp down on foreign visitors’ unpaid parking fines
This content was published on
The Swiss government has agreed to crack down on parking fines and other driving-related penalties handed out to foreign visitors that go unpaid.
Streaming continues to drive Swiss music market growth
This content was published on
The Swiss music market generated sales of CHF249 million ($274 million) in 2024, up 7% on the previous year, with streaming driving most of the growth.
Migros sells Hotelplan tour operator to Germany’s Dertour
This content was published on
The Swiss retailer Migros is selling most of the Hotelplan Group to the German tour operator Dertour. Meanwhile the Hotelplan subsidiary Interhome has been sold to Hometogo.
This content was published on
The flu epidemic in Switzerland is easing. The number of reported cases fell last week, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). But the wave may not yet have reached its peak.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.