BALK

European Country’s Shock Verdict: We’ll Snub Injured Ukrainians

The Swiss government is citing neutrality as a reason to not help the war-wounded victims of Putin’s invasion.

The government of Switzerland has decided that it won’t be treating Ukrainians wounded as a result of Russia’s war.

Citing military neutrality as a justification for not treating the war-wounded, the Swiss government also claimed it will be too difficult to determine which Ukrainians are civilians and which are wounded from the war, Tages Anzeiger newspaper reported.

“Switzerland generally provides better and more efficient support with its aid and humanitarian commitment on site than if patients are admitted in Switzerland,” the foreign ministry said. “In addition, there were obstacles under the law of neutrality, when military patients were admitted and it was hardly possible to distinguish between civilian and military patients.”

The government will be funneling its medical aid to hospitals in Ukraine instead.

The decision seemed to mark a stark difference in the Swiss government’s approach to the war in Ukraine. Just months ago, Switzerland abandoned its typically neutral stance, and instead opted to slap sanctions on Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, instead of staying out of it. Jacques Pitteloud, the Swiss ambassador to the United States, though, has said the country maintains a legal definition of neutrality.

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The original request for help with the war-wounded came from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, a NATO-run response center. Some Swiss cantons, or member states, are still willing to help Ukraine’s war-wounded, according to the Tages Anzeiger.

But the debacle of whether and how to help the wounded underscores a broader issue the Swiss are grappling with now that affects the very core of Swiss foreign policy: What it means to be neutral.

Earlier this month the Swiss government hosted a reconstruction conference focused on Ukraine’s rebuilding. Just this week, the Swiss government announced the Swiss Army and the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) are providing de-mining training to Ukrainians as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Partnership for Peace as they work to remove mines and explosive devices Russia has placed to target Ukrainians.

While the government’s decision on not helping the wounded stands, Swiss support for neutrality has been declining since Russia invaded Ukraine, according to a study from Military Academy and the Center for Security Studies (CSS). Support for neutrality hovers around 89 percent in the survey, which was conducted in June. That number was 8 points lower than the poll results in January.

And while 58 percent believe that Swiss neutrality is protecting Switzerland, that figure is also down 11 points from January.

Swiss officials have announced in recent weeks that the government will be working on a report to delve into “how our understanding of neutrality could develop further.”

The question of Switzerland’s shifting role on the international stage is stirring up tension domestically as well. Just last month Switzerland was elected to serve as a non-permanent member to the United Nations Security Council, the first time Switzerland will be serving on the council. While the government maintains that working with the security council is a matter of working on peace, some politicians in Switzerland disagree.

“With its seat on the UN Security Council, Switzerland is definitely a party of war,” The People’s Party said.

But Swiss President Ignazio Cassis reiterated in an interview published last month with La Liberté that the country still wants to focus on building neutrality.

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Shannon VavraNational Security Reporter

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