SWISS INFO: (Bloomberg) -- The Swiss government broke with a long-entrenched tradition of neutrality and agreed to enforce European Union sanctions against Russian companies and individuals including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The government’s decision Monday to implement the sanctions with immediate effect -- which prompted Lavrov to cancel a planned trip to Geneva -- came after a weekend in which it was criticized by opposition politicians and in editorials in leading Swiss papers as well as by other governments.
The European Commission on Friday urged Switzerland to follow its lead on punishing the Kremlin, noting that although not an EU member state, it’s still “part of Europe.”
Swiss President Ignazio Cassis told reporters Monday that adopting the EU sanctions is not a black-and-white decision that precludes it playing a role as a neutral party in the future, but rather a case of choosing where to put the emphasis. » | ©2022 Bloomberg L.P. | Monday, February 28, 2022
