Switzerland between Russia and Ukraine? No, thank you

Moscow did not ask Switzerland to represent Russia's interests in Ukraine. Ukraine does not deserve it that Russia builds diplomatic relations with it.

Switzerland wanted to deal with Russia's interests in Ukraine

On August 10, a representative of the Swiss Foreign Ministry said that Bern was ready to represent Ukraine's interests in Russia and Russia's interests in Ukraine due to the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"For this agreement to come into force, Russia must express its consent," an official said.

The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noted that Switzerland had long expressed readiness to become an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine.

Moscow does not consider Switzerland a neutral country

Moscow decided that Switzerland could not represent either Russian or Ukrainian interests, as it joined sanctions against Russia.

"It has lost its neutral status," Ivan Nechaev, deputy director of the information and press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday, August 11.

According to him, the fact that Bern was aware of Moscow's views, but continued negotiations with Kyiv on the issue of mutual representation could only confirm that Russia's interests did not really concern Switzerland.

"This only supports our position that Switzerland doing any representation or mediation is out of the question," Ivan Nechaev stressed.

Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, told Pravda.Ru that Switzerland was actively involved in sanctions against Russia.

Therefore, the expert found Bern's initiative "strange".

"It seems to me that this is a rather strange proposal from a state that pursues an anti-Russian policy,” said Vladimir Shapovalov.

There are no Russians left in Ukraine, there is no one to protect

According to the expert, it is Ukraine that needs diplomatic relations in the first place, because there are millions of Ukrainian citizens living in Russia.

Nearly all Russians have left Ukraine, because the attitude towards the Russians in Ukraine does not meet the norms and principles of international relations, Shapovalov said. In addition, now the Russian Federation and Ukraine have a visa regime, but only Russians living in third countries can apply for a visa.

Therefore, for the Russian Federation, diplomatic relations as a protective function of its citizens in Ukraine "do not play an important role," the expert stressed.

Political scientist Andrei Suzdaltsev believes that Russia has no interests in Ukraine at all. Moscow has never asked any country of the world to represent its interests in the capital of Ukraine.

"Given the presence of several million citizens of Ukraine on the territory of Russia, Kyiv is more likely to be interested in representing its interests in the Russian Federation," the expert wrote in his Telegram channel.

"Let them somehow get out of it on their own, let the citizens of Ukraine go to Kazakhstan to the nearest Ukrainian embassy or to Estonia. It's up to them," Andrei Suzdaltsev said in an interview with Pravda.Ru.

"Illegally displaced" Ukrainians do not complain about life in Russia

Earlier, Oleg Nikolenko, a representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, commenting on the initiative to establish indirect diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation, said that "hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who were illegally displaced from Ukrainian cities and villages captured by the Russian army were in need of help."

"Many of our citizens ended up on the Russian territory without documents," Oleg Nikolenko said.

The UK intends to deliver Ukrainian refugees to Rwanda. Poland has been forcibly expelling potential conscripts since March. Russia does not even consider deporting Ukrainian refugees, not even men of military age.

In Russia, they are given an opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship under a simplified scheme and immediately receive social benefits, including maternity capital and child benefits.

They live in boarding houses and camp sites. They get three meals a day, paperwork assistance, temporary asylum, citizenship, employment.

A total of 647 such temporary refugee camps have been arranged in 59 Russian regions.

• Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Russia on February 24.
• Switzerland imposed sanctions on 197 Russians and nine companies from Russia.
• Bern froze $6.17 billion of Russian assets.
• According to the UN, out of 10,350,489 people who have left Ukraine to date, the largest number have moved to Russia — 1,857,122.