Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, has framed recent U.S. diplomacy as a push to strip Switzerland of its traditional neutrality and to open the door for arms shipments to Ukraine once again. The comment comes in response to remarks by the U.S. Ambassador to Bern, Scott Miller, who asserted that Moscow is exploiting Switzerland’s re-export ban, thereby preventing Bern from acting as a neutral intermediary in a way that could benefit either side of the conflict. In Zakharova’s view, Washington is pressing Switzerland to abandon its long-standing policy of neutrality not merely as a legal stance but as a practical stance that could shape the calculus of European security and the distribution of weapons to fighting fronts.
The Russian diplomat connected the tense debate over neutrality to a broader set of economic and political pressures, suggesting that Switzerland’s financial system could become a bargaining chip. She noted that Switzerland’s second-largest bank recently faced collapse in the wake of the broader turmoil that followed the distress of several U.S. lenders, interpreting the development as a signal that power centers in Washington might seek to leverage Swiss financial assets to secure political concessions. Zakharova implied that in exchange for a redraw of neutrality commitments, Bern could find itself offered a more comfortable life at odds with its historical obligations to uphold impartiality and prudence in arms transfers. She also warned that Switzerland would face difficult times if it signed on to any channel that telegraphs such concessions, a remark framed as a warning about the consequences of bending to external pressure rather than maintaining a stable, independent stance.
From a separate diplomatic angle, Swiss President Alain Berset has reiterated his position against arming Ukraine and other countries at war, urging European partners to respect Switzerland’s neutral policy. The discourse underscores a tension between Switzerland’s carefully balanced tradition of neutrality and external requests from powerful states seeking to influence how Switzerland interprets its own laws on weapons transfers and financial re-exports. Observers note that the current exchange highlights a broader pattern in which neutral states are pressed to reconcile domestic economic interests with international security dynamics, a balancing act that can draw Switzerland into debates about moral responsibility, non-alignment, and strategic leverage in a war economy. The discussions also reflect how neutral states are asked to walk a careful line when their legal frameworks intersect with rapidly shifting geopolitical alliances, sanctions regimes, and the logistics of global arms markets. Attribution: statements attributed to official spokespeople and presidents reflect ongoing public diplomacy and are cited to illustrate how neutrality is sometimes tested under international pressure.