Ukrainian Society of Switzerland

[Sergiy Kyslytsya 🇺🇦 @SergiyKyslytsya]

Any initiatives that do not contain a clear reference to the UN Charter and do not guarantee the full restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity are unacceptable. Such "peace initiatives" only create an illusion of dialogue while the aggressor continues its criminal actions.
We call upon the Swiss Confederation and all countries that support international law and the UN Charter to avoid participating in so-called "peace initiatives" that may only complicate the process of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. Those initiatives that do not recognize the fact of Russia's unprovoked armed aggression against Ukraine, equate the victim and the aggressor, or propose de-escalation at the expense of Ukraine's sovereignty and territories, cannot be supported by Ukraine.

@swiss_un

https://t.co/bCraJn22fl

[Swiss Embassy Kyiv @SwissUA]

Today, we celebrate the Swiss National Day, which marks 733 years since the three Swiss cantons banded together 🇨🇭 It is the only public holiday celebrated throughout the country.
Little Swiss ambassador @HappyLilly_ joins the celebration by our embassy in Kyiv! 🇺🇦

[Anders Åslund @anders_aslund]

This appears very serious.

[Dmytro Kuleba @DmytroKuleba]

The strongest is the one who, in the battle between good and evil, stands on the side of good rather than attempting to put them on the same footing and call it “negotiations”.

At the same time, when it comes to the white flag, we know this Vatican's strategy from the first half of the twentieth century. I urge to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and to support Ukraine and its people in their just struggle for their lives.

Our flag is a yellow and blue one. This is the flag by which we live, die, and prevail. We shall never raise any other flags.

We thank His Holiness Pope Francis for his constant prayers for peace, and we continue to hope that after two years of devastating war in the heart of Europe, the Pontiff will find an opportunity to pay an Apostolic visit to Ukraine to support over a million Ukrainian Catholics, over five million Greek-Catholics, all Christians, and all Ukrainians.

[Swiss Embassy Kyiv @SwissUA]

"I will express gratitude to 🇨🇭 for its consistent support for 🇺🇦 sovereignty and territorial integrity. I believe that 🇨🇭 participation in the Peace Formula, as well as its relevant experience, can help bring our vision of just peace closer."
President of 🇺🇦 Volodymyr Zelenskyy

[Михайло Подоляк @Podolyak_M]

There is no doubt that now a new stage in the war has begun for everyone (including Ukraine's partners). A stage when it is necessary to abandon excessive conservatism (rather, passivity) and finally decide on the ultimate goals.

It is no longer possible to sit on the fence, expecting that everything will be resolved on its own and that the Russian Federation will suddenly return to its pre-war (ostensibly peace-loving) state and become capable of negotiating with and economically oriented... It will not. For the umpteenth time I suggest we abandon dangerous illusions. Instead, it will persistently destroy peace, rules, law. It will actively provoke, blackmail, humiliate, kill, invade, interfere, terrorize.

That is why more fundamental decisions are needed at this stage.

First: sanctions that are more deeply and systematically considered. Sanctions that genuinely start to diminish Russia's financial capabilities.

Second: comprehensive and stringent restrictions on oil/gas. No more hypocritical intermediary services that allow Russia to sell large volumes. Also, concerning liquefied gas. Money, of course, doesn't smell, but the blood that Russia will ultimately shed does indeed stink.

And the third thing is to try to strike the right balance in the supply of military equipment. Without bureaucracy and doubts. Stake on technological solutions - aviation, drones (including as partial compensation for ammunition deficits), radio-electronic control systems, long-range missiles. Quantity, speed, logistics. That's the only way.

Anything else is a path to an extremely abhorrent future...

[Swiss Embassy Kyiv @SwissUA]

At the end of his visit to 🇺🇦, President of 🇨🇭 Alain Berset visited a 🇨🇭-supported space for displaced people, run by @UNHCRUkraine & @PoruchSpilka.
He heard stories of displacement and resilience from adults and children who attend IT classes here to cope with the trauma of war.

[Dmytro Kuleba @DmytroKuleba]

To those who have missed the previous 30 years, here is a short list of the results of negotiations with Russia that it never respected:

1. The Budapest Memorandum of 1994. Russia agreed to “respect independence, sovereignty, and the existing borders of Ukraine” as well as “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine”. Breached by Russia invading Crimea in 2014.

2. The Russian-Ukrainian Friendship Treaty of 1997. Russia agreed to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and “reaffirmed the inviolability of the borders” between the two countries. Russia breached it in 2014.

3. The OSCE Istanbul Summit in 1999. Russia committed to withdrawing its troops from Moldova’s Transdniestrian region and Georgia until the end of 2002. That never happened.

4. The 2008 Georgia ceasefire agreement following Russian aggression against the country. Russia agreed that “Russian military forces must withdraw to the lines prior to the start of hostilities”. That never happened.

5. The Ilovaysk “Green Corridor” in August 2014 and other “humanitarian” death corridors. Russia pledged to let Ukrainian forces leave the encircled town of Ilovaysk in the east of Ukraine, but instead opened fire and killed 366 Ukrainian troops. In the following years, Russia attacked numerous humanitarian corridors in Syria.

6. The “Minsk” agreements of 2014 and 2015. Russia agreed to cease the fire in the east of Ukraine. There had been 200 rounds of talks and 20 attempts to enforce a ceasefire, all of which the Russian side promptly violated. On February 24th, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

7. The 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative. Russia pledged to “provide maximum assurances regarding a safe and secure environment for all vessels engaged in this initiative." It then hindered the initiative's operation for months before withdrawing unilaterally a year later.

NB: I am only focused on deals made with Russia to address specific issues and conflicts. I am not mentioning almost 400 international treaties that Russia has breached since 2014.

There are no conclusions to be drawn here, except that no one can seriously use the words "Russia" and "negotiations" in the same phrase.

Putin is a habitual liar who promised international leaders that he would not attack Ukraine days before his invasion in February 2022.

Russia's tactic has remained consistent in its many wars over the last three decades: kill, grab, lie, and deny.

Why would anyone genuinely believe that Russia in 2023 is any different from Russia in 1994, 1997, 1999, 2008, 2014, 2015, and 2022?

[Alain Berset @alain_berset]

Today, more than 50 people have tragically lost their lives in #Hroza 🇺🇦. My thoughts are with the people of #Ukraine who are suffering under Russia's ongoing military aggression.
International humanitarian law must be respected at all costs.

[Roger Nordmann @NordmannRoger]

CH handed a first remote-controlled demining device (by @DiggerDTR) to Ukraine.
Press statment CH-Minis of defense @vbs_ddps https://t.co/sZzPkpOt0c

Social-democrat @spschweiz groupe asked to reinforce: https://t.co/u8c1ORWG6W (gov agree, extrem-right against, to be voted)

[Dmytro Kuleba @DmytroKuleba]

I addressed all 31 NATO foreign ministers ahead of their informal meeting in Oslo. Three steps to make Vilnius summit a success:

1) Strengthen Ukraine-NATO institutional ties and assistance
2) Take a step toward UA membership
3) Provide security guarantees on UA’s path to NATO.

[Dmytro Kuleba @DmytroKuleba]

I am grateful to France for recognizing the 1932-33 Holodomor as a genocide of Ukrainians and for honoring the memory of the victims of Stalin and his regime. With this historic vote, @AssembleeNat made it clear that such crimes will never be forgotten and must never be repeated.

[Sergiy Kyslytsya 🇺🇦 @SergiyKyslytsya]

Good morning, United Nations! Did everyone get a good night sleep? Surely better than the residents of the house hit putin’s missile this morning in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine @un

[Sir William Browder KCMG @Billbrowder]

The Swiss are not seeking jail for the 4 Gazprombank executives who are accused of laundering money for Putin’s Cellist. Instead they are asking for a 7 month suspended sentence. They did the same for the prosecutor who took bribes in the Magnitsky case https://t.co/ofLtAgU0nu

[Andy Hunder @AndyHunder]

Ukraine is open for business
My latest interview on @CNN with @ZainAsher how business continues to operate during Russia's brutal war in Ukraine

[Michael McFaul @McFaul]

To any US or European company still operating in Russia, and thus underwriting Putin's killing machine in Ukraine, shame on you.

Putin is slaughtering innocent children & grandmothers, committing crimes against humanity. How can you be funding that?

[Sir William Browder KCMG @Billbrowder]

Unbelievable. Russian foreign minister Lavrov says the war in Ukraine was launched against Russia. The crowd breaks out in laughter. But this is no laughing matter.

[Swiss Embassy Kyiv @SwissUA]

On 16.02.🇨🇭Amb. Claude Wild participated at Strategic session of the Reform on Healthy School Nutrition in 🇺🇦.🇨🇭 is a partner of this reform, lead by 🇺🇦First Lady @ZelenskaUA, supported by @UNICEF_UA & coordinated by several Ministries alongside the @MoH_Ukraine & @MON_UKRAINE

[Sir William Browder KCMG @Billbrowder]

BREAKING: The Federal Council of Switzerland has ruled that confiscating frozen Russian assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine is “unconstitutional”. I guess the Swiss will dig into their own pockets then. https://t.co/o2XEw4fsFn

[Dmytro Kuleba @DmytroKuleba]

In December 1991, Russia illegally usurped the USSR's seat in the United Nations Security Council. No legal procedures defined by the UN Charter were upheld. This gave Moscow a feeling of absolute impunity which led to numerous crimes. The UNSC will be better off without Russia.