Swiss hunting: Bern raised the issue of lifting sanctions against Russia

The war in the Middle East is causing damage to European countries, including Switzerland. In these circumstances, the issue of lifting sanctions against Russia was raised in its parliament, Jean-Luc Addor, a member of the Swiss People's Party (SNP), told Izvestia. The deputies of the SNP, which is also part of the government, believe that in times of crisis, these restrictions only hinder the diversification of external supplies. However, there are currently no signals indicating the country's desire to cancel or suspend the restrictions. Russian Ambassador to Switzerland Sergey Harmonin told Izvestia that Moscow was not observing any major changes in bilateral relations.

Calls for lifting of sanctions

Discussions about the need to lift sanctions against Russia have intensified in the Swiss parliament. They were initiated by the Swiss People's Party, which, according to polls, is consistently supported by about 30% of voters.

— The Swiss People's Party, the largest political force in the country, has repeatedly opposed sanctions against the Russian Federation, as we consider them incompatible with Swiss neutrality. This position was also publicly voiced during the recent parliamentary debate on the issue of neutrality," SNP MP Jean-Luc Addor told Izvestia.

At the end of March, party members came up with a legislative initiative to "Lift sanctions in order to preserve Switzerland's purchasing power." They justified their move by the consequences of the Iranian war and the rising cost of energy resources for Europe and Switzerland. In the confederation, by the way, there was a noticeable rise in the price of diesel fuel. According to the Global Petrol Prices analytical resource, the price per liter of diesel increased by 20% in a month.

At the same time, Switzerland previously supported almost all EU restrictions against Russia, including in the field of energy. Thus, the government imposed a ban on the purchase and import of Russian liquefied natural gas starting on April 26. In addition, the confederation has joined measures against companies and vessels involved in the transportation of Russian oil, bypassing the established "price ceiling." The Swiss State Department of Economics has also already made it clear that Bern will focus on decisions in the European Union regarding the possible temporary easing of sanctions on Russian oil. The EU leadership hopes to adopt the 20th package of sanctions in the near future.

"At a time when commodity markets are under severe pressure and when households and companies are already suffering from rising prices, Switzerland must maintain freedom of action and diversify its sources of supply. Today, one of the main obstacles to this is the sanctions imposed against Russia," said Jean-Luc Addor. — For me, this is not only a matter of neutrality, although neutrality is certainly of paramount importance. It is also a matter of responsibility towards one's own population.

Swiss politics should, first of all, serve the interests of Switzerland and its citizens, says the deputy. It should not be dictated by political programs established in Brussels or Washington.

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Although the Swiss People's Party is represented not only in parliament, but also in the government (President Guy Parmelin is a member of the SNP), it cannot unilaterally block decisions on new sanctions against the Russian Federation. The confederation's Government consists of seven members representing the four largest parties. At the same time, decisions are made collectively: even if ministers from the Swiss People's Party oppose sanctions, they are obliged to obey and publicly support the decision of the majority of government members.

— The Swiss People's Party supports neutrality. There are no deviations in this regard," Vladimir Schweitzer, chief researcher at the Department of Social and Political Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia. — Regarding Russia, the Swiss People's Party does not show any emotions in either direction. It cannot be classified as anti-Russian or pro-Russian. It is a party of moderate European nationalism.

Prospects of sanctions policy

Despite the deterioration of Western relations with Russia, Switzerland is still trying to maintain a dialogue with Russia. In February, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. He visited Russia as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, and the Russian side admitted that bilateral relations have potential for growth due to the country's chairmanship in the organization. However, so far the Russian Federation has not recorded any fundamental progress.

—We do not observe any major changes in the sphere of bilateral relations,— Russian Ambassador to Switzerland Sergey Garmonin told Izvestia. — In 2022, the official Bern initiative curtailed the entire range of Russian-Swiss contacts, reducing it to a minimum in all areas, be it political dialogue, parliamentary diplomacy, intergovernmental cooperation, economic cooperation or cultural exchanges.

Since then, the situation has not changed fundamentally. The confederation's authorities continue to regularly adopt the vast majority of Brussels' sanctions tricks, Sergei Harmonin added.

A serious disappointment for Moscow was Bern's departure from neutrality, which he managed to adhere to back in 2014-2022. The same applies to the OSCE, which is now led by Switzerland.

— Minister Lavrov outlined in detail to Mr. Kassis the Russian vision regarding the systemic crisis that affected all three dimensions of the OSCE's activities: military-political, economic and humanitarian issues. The message of the Russian Foreign Minister was that first of all it is necessary to restore the normal work of the organization, not to strive to implement any global initiatives that the OSCE obviously cannot handle today. If the Swiss chairmanship can actually resolve at least some of the long—standing OSCE problems, then this will be a significant success," the ambassador noted.

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At the same time, over the past four years, Switzerland has become noticeably closer to the European Union and NATO. In addition to the fact that she began to almost completely copy the EU sanctions packages against Russia and synchronize her actions in the visa sphere, she began to move towards joining the military initiatives of Brussels. For example, in 2024, the government approved participation in a project to simplify the transfer of military equipment and troops across Europe without delays at borders ("military Schengen").

Experts emphasize that Switzerland is closely integrated into the European market, and lifting sanctions unilaterally would undermine relations with key trading partners. Over 50% of Swiss exports and 70% of imports come from the European Union.

— Their entire trade is focused on the European Union. Asian countries are also joining now, and more and more the United States. And Russia is far from being one of the first," Olga Trofimova, a leading researcher at the Primakov Center for European Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

In March 2026, the EU and Switzerland signed the third package of sectoral agreements aimed at deepening economic ties between Bern and Brussels, including participation in the single market and legal issues.

Switzerland has to maneuver: on the one hand, it wants to remain neutral, but on the other, the country is bound to the EU by bilateral agreements. Bern is not interested in quarreling with Brussels, and therefore follows in line with its policy towards the Russian Federation, Olga Trofimova summed up.