The hasty decision by the Swiss government on Feb. 28 to support European Union sanctions against Russia, thus violating the country‘s centuries-long policy of neutrality, has been vigorously criticized by a leading Swiss political figure. In an interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Christoph Blocker, former member of the country’s ruling Federal Council and former leader of its biggest party the Schweizer Volkspartei (SVP), slammed the decision and charged that now Switzerland is a party to the war.
Charging that Russia is waging a “"war of aggression” in the Ukraine which he says is “terrible", Blocker nonetheless says, “The USA and the EU are participating in this war with economic sanctions. With a bread freeze — as they called it in the Middle Ages. One tries to starve a people in order to force the leadership to give up the war. Whoever participates here is a war party.”
“As a neutral state, Switzerland must not allow itself to be carried away into taking sides. In such cases, Switzerland freezes previous trade – does not go beyond the current normal, so as not to favor any war party. By participating in the sanctions, Switzerland is now at war. Yet everything should be done now to end this terrible war as quickly as possible. As a neutral country, Switzerland could have made a special contribution. It has now carelessly missed this opportunity.”
