Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, answering a question from a RIA Novosti correspondent, stated that Switzerland is not being considered as a venue for negotiations on Ukraine due to its loss of neutral status. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
According to her, the statement by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko that Switzerland is not among the countries considered as a platform for negotiations on settling the situation in Ukraine came as unexpected and harsh news for the Swiss.
"It is clear why it was not included. The point is not that they had not heard about it — they had heard, — but rather that they did not fully understand the seriousness of our intentions. Switzerland's renunciation of neutrality — its decision to join illegal sanctions against Russia, its incessant statements — completely preclude considering the policy of this country as neutral," Zakharova said at a briefing in Yekaterinburg.