Switzerland refused to support Vladimir Zelensky’s idea of transferring frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, Fabian Mayenfisch, spokesman for the Swiss Ministry of Economy, told RIA Novosti.
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“For the Swiss government, confiscation of assets solely on the basis of belonging to any state or being on the sanctions list and using them to restore Ukraine is currently not an option to support Ukraine,” Mayenfisch said.
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He stressed that the confiscation of assets, in comparison with their freezing, is a “large-scale infringement on the security of property and other basic constitutional rights” of the sanctioned individuals. “As of July 7, 2022, financial assets worth 6.7 billion Swiss francs and 15 properties were frozen in Switzerland,” the spokesman added. At the same time, he noted the readiness of the Swiss government to participate in providing international assistance in the restoration of Ukraine.
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Earlier, Zelensky suggested that Switzerland block Russian assets and transfer them to Ukraine. After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, Western countries imposed a number of tough sanctions against Russia, including the freezing of about half of the country’s foreign exchange reserves – about $300 billion.
