Russia: 85-year-old election campaigner: A Swiss billionaire wants to overturn sanctions against Putin
Christoph Blocher is considered the patron saint of the right-wing conservative SVP. He wants to strengthen Switzerland's neutrality status - in favor of Russia. The showdown is coming in a few days.
Christoph Blocher, the leader of the Swiss People's Party (SVP), is campaigning for a neutrality initiative that will be voted on by Swiss citizens on September 27. The initiative would enshrine a strict neutrality policy in the constitution, prohibiting Switzerland from imposing sanctions on warring states, unless mandated by the United Nations.
Critics, including the government and parliament, argue that this would allow Russia to park funds in Switzerland again and undermine the country's international standing. Russia has expressed support for the initiative, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov labeling Switzerland as "openly hostile" after it imposed sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
