Foreign ministry condemns Russian aggression in Ukraine

The Swiss foreign ministry has condemned Russia’s formal recognition of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, a move that spread tension across Europe. 

The recognition is a “flagrant violation of international law, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and the Minsk agreements”, it tweeted on Monday.

Switzerland also called on Russia “to uphold its international obligations and to reverse its action”.

Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions – collectively known as the Donbass region – broke away from Ukrainian government control in 2014 and proclaimed themselves independent “people’s republics”.

In a lengthy televised address on Monday packed with grievances against the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin, visibly angry, said eastern Ukraine was ancient Russian land. For years Putin has worked to restore Russia’s influence over nations that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with Ukraine holding an important place in his ambitions. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

The Swiss embassy in Kyiv declared on Twitter that it fully supported Ukraine after “renewed aggression”. It described the recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a “serious threat to international peace”.

Possible sanctions

On Tuesday world leaders scrambled to condemn Putin and raised the prospect of sanctions.

While Russia’s troop movements were still not clear, leaders voiced strong support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, along with worries about how a European war could hurt global and local economies and endanger foreign nationals trapped in Ukraine.

On February 12 the Swiss government advised its citizens against travelling to Ukraine, but it stopped short of asking them to leave the country.

Russia has amassed nearly 200,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and Western nations worry Moscow could use them to attack or invade its neighbour.