"Dishonest broker" Kremlin rages against Switzerland after meeting with Cassis

Ignazio Cassis met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York. Russia then criticized Swiss neutrality.

Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the fringes of a UN Security Council meeting in New York this week. Lavrov described the exchange as "interesting". Cassis wrote on X: "In connection with Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council, I met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and briefed him on the Ukraine peace summit".

So far, so friendly. Afterwards, however, the Russian delegation is said to have sent some poisoned arrows towards Switzerland, as reported by "Blick ". Lavrov is said to have stated that Russia would take into account Switzerland's "progressive departure from neutrality".

A Kremlin spokeswoman also described Switzerland as a "dishonest broker", pointing to the establishment of a NATO liaison office at the United Nations in Geneva as proof of Switzerland's lack of neutrality. Weeks ago, Moscow had already threatened to move diplomatic talks on the situation in the South Caucasus from Geneva to another country.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry (FDFA) had no comment on Moscow's rhetoric. The Bürgenstock conference in mid-June has so far had no concrete consequences. According to Thomas Greminger, Director of the Geneva Center for Security Policy, no follow-up conference is currently foreseeable, especially as the two parties to the conflict are not prepared to enter into negotiations.