ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland is liaising with other countries on potential sanctions against Russia and may not act immediately, the government said on Tuesday as Moscow faced the prospect of a harsh Western response to its intervention in Ukraine.
If new international sanctions are imposed on Russia, the Swiss cabinet will analyse the situation and then decide on what steps to take, if any.
“It follows that Swiss measures could not be taken simultaneously with those of other countries,” the economy ministry said in response to a query.
“Nevertheless, we can confirm that the Swiss authorities are in contact with several countries to exchange information on the current situation.”
Neutral Switzerland in 2014 did not adopt European Union sanctions imposed on Russia for annexing Crimea, instead implementing its own measures designed to keep the country and its financial centre from being used to circumvent EU measures.
Switzerland is obliged under international law to implement only sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council.
(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Kevin Liffey)