Klitschko, speaking to blick.chExternal link on the fringes of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos, said that in conversations with members of the Swiss government he heard one sentence particularly often: “We are a neutral country.”
On the one hand he understands Swiss neutrality, he said. Nevertheless, he repeated what he said at the WEF 2022 in May: “One has to take a stance.” In today’s world, he said, one cannot be neutral.
Last week the Spanish Defence Minister said Switzerland was refusing to allow Spain to re-export war materiel to Ukraine. Switzerland has stuck firmly to the line that its neutrality would be damaged by allowing other countries to send Swiss-produced weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.
The Swiss government has also resisted pressure from Germany to sanction the re-export of ammunition to supply anti-aircraft vehicles already in Ukraine.
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Swiss neutrality policy to remain unchanged
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Switzerland will not change its policy of political neutrality despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the government has confirmed.
Last Monday Klitschko criticised the fact that international arms deliveries were moving too slowly.
On Wednesday NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine needed a “significant increase” weapons at a pivotal moment in Russia’s invasion and such support is the only way to a negotiated peaceful solution.
Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing world champion, said he would take up arms himself to defend Ukraine. His father was a general and taught him that “the greatest honour for a man is to give his life for his country”. Compared to the previous WEF eight months ago, the situation around Kyiv is still difficult but stable, the mayor continued.
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Swiss neutrality is misunderstood in Ukraine, says Swiss ambassador
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People in Ukraine do not understand the Swiss concept of neutrality, says Claude Wild, Switzerland’s ambassador to Ukraine.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
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The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
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The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
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Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
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Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
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Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
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Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
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