GENEVA, January 22 /TASS/. Switzerland has lost its credibility as an impartial international platform and cannot be regarded a mediator in addressing the crisis in Ukraine, the Russian ambassador to Switzerland Sergey Garmonin said in an interview with Sonntags Zeitung newspaper.
Answering the question on whether Switzerland is a suitable location for a conference on peace in Ukraine, which was announced in Bern, the ambassador recalled that the country "consistently supports the anti-Russian line of the collective West, has joined illegitimate sanctions, and proactively promotes the idea of an international tribunal to convict the Russian leadership."
Garmonin stressed that Switzerland "has completely lost the authority of an impartial international platform," and it can hardly be called an appropriate place for organizing a conference on Ukraine peace talks. The ambassador stated that there can no longer be any talk of Swiss mediation. He remarked, "Unfortunately, Switzerland has lost its status as a neutral state and cannot be considered a mediator."
Swiss diplomacy joined the doomed initiative, agreeing to Kiev's invitation to hold a conference on Ukraine based on Vladimir Zelensky's so-called "peace formula," which ignores Moscow's stance, the diplomat added.