Getting serious about neutrality

ef. At the end of January, a group of Swiss citizens, joined by German citizens, travelled to Moscow to send a message of international solidarity in the spirit of people’s diplomacy: against sanctions and in favour of friendship and dialogue with Russia. The trip was organised by the Swiss Eurasia Association.
    A group of “Friendship-Trychlers”¹ was also present, underscoring the group’s cause with their magnificent bell ringing, as reported by RT Deutsch in an exclusive report on 27 January.² Several dozen Swiss citizens marched peacefully through the streets of Moscow with the aim of seeking a meeting with the new Swiss ambassador, Jürg Burri, and handing him a letter. In it, the participants call on the Swiss government, among other things, to lift the sanctions against Russia and return to friendly and normal relations with Russia. The letter from the Eurasia Association states: “We stand here as representatives of a Swiss population group that takes neutrality seriously. It is convinced that the Russian people are an integral part of the European community of nations and must not be excluded from it. It recognises the efforts of the Russian leadership from Gorbachev to Putin to establish a stable pan-European peace order and deeply regrets that these efforts have not yet been successful. We now hope that those responsible for Russia’s fate will not give up hope for détente and a new beginning based on solidarity. We ask you, Mr Ambassador, to contribute to this as far as possible.” Swiss entrepreneur Peter Hänseler, who lives in Moscow, also spoke out in favour of resuming the friendly relations between Switzerland and Russia that have existed since 1815, “as Switzerland actually owes its neutrality to Tsar Alexander I”.
    One Swiss participant commented on the trip: “It’s difficult to make a difference as an individual, but when many individuals participate, you can set something in motion, and peace is always a good thing […]. The ambassador will perhaps think again tonight in bed about everything we said, and I hope that our concerns have fallen on fertile ground with him.” Vital Burger, President of the Eurasia Association, said: “Our goal would be to bring about an initiative whereby we no longer participate in sanctions in general and return to our role of armed neutrality.” – Grist to the mill of the Swiss neutrality initiative.

¹Trycheln (Trycheln are cowbells made of hammered sheet steel) is an ancient custom of Celtic origin that has been passed down from generation to generation. It dates back to pre-Christian times, when the inhabitants of the mountain valleys used Trycheln to keep evil spirits away from their villages during the longest nights of the year. Trycheln can be found in various forms in the northern Alpine region.

²RT Deutsch of 27 January 2026