Switzerland – Russia: Foreign Ministers Talk Again

It is with great caution that Switzerland wants to summarize its historic role as mediator in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which was the central topic of a telephone conversation between federal foreign affairs adviser Ignazio Cassis and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

According to the Foreign Ministry’s press service, “the two sides exchanged views on the Ukrainian conflict. Minister Lavrov explained in detail the Russian position on the settlement of the situation,” the message stated. During the discussion, Lavrov reiterated “the inadmissibility of NATO’s eastward expansion, which is one of the main reasons for the current situation.” “In this context, Russia’s readiness to take all necessary measures to ensure its security was confirmed,” he further elaborated.

The telephone conversation between the diplomatic leaders of the Swiss Confederation and the Russian Federation preceded hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference, during which the Kremlin chief emphasized that Russia is ready to negotiate with Ukraine, but also the other side should be ready for both dialogue and constructive compromises. “We have always said we are ready for both negotiation and compromise. It’s just that the other side refused to negotiate. We’re always ready. The result of these negotiations is always a compromise. It is necessary for the other side to be ready for negotiations and compromise,” Putin said.

In this context, after the Cassis-Lavrov telephone conversation, Moscow emphasized that “in light of Bern’s attempts to promote the idea of a solution according to Zelensky’s formula, the Russian side emphasizes the absolute senselessness of addressing Moscow with some kind of ultimatum formulated behind the scenes between the West and Kiev to resolve this issue.”

In addition to Ukraine, the Swiss and Russian ministers also discussed “the situation inside the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and ways to prevent further deterioration of the situation in the Organization, whose meetings have become another battleground between Russia and the West.”

In turn, the Foreign Ministry of the Swiss Confederation specified that the telephone conversation is necessary for “possible Swiss chairmanship in the OSCE.” As the Swiss media recall, relations of traditional friendship and mutual respect between Russia and Switzerland “have deteriorated significantly since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.” The Swiss Confederation, historically a “neutral” country, this time adopted sanctions against Russia and held two so-called “peace summits,” organized by Ukraine and promoting only Ukrainian interests, from which Russia was excluded.

In early November, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had his first phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in more than two years, which infuriated Ukraine.