GENEVA, March 8. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy is studying the decision of the Council of States, the small chamber of the Swiss parliament, which called on the government on March 7 to consider confiscating Russian assets frozen in the country and transferring them to Ukraine, Russian Ambassador to Switzerland Sergey Garmonin said in an interview with TASS. He emphasized that, in any event, such confiscation would be considered illegal.

"We are currently studying the decision of the Council of States. In any case, we believe that any confiscation of the sovereign Russian assets, like any other state, is unlawful. Such decision on confiscation, if implemented, will damage both the legal integrity of the global financial system, as well as the reputation of Switzerland as a rule of law state and a reliable financial center," the ambassador said.

He added that Russia and its leadership "have repeatedly stated that they view this as pure theft." "As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on March 2, we will undoubtedly respond, but we also have the option not to return the funds that Western countries kept in Russia that were frozen in response to the arrest of Russian state reserves. There is no question that we will act on the basis of reciprocity," the diplomat said.

On March 7, the Council of States announced its support for transferring Russian assets frozen in Switzerland to Ukraine. This measure received 21 votes in favor, 19 against, while three deputies abstained.

So far, the Swiss government has been cautious about the Russian assets that have been frozen in Switzerland. Bern is committed to ensuring that discussions about blocked Russian assets result in decisions that are consistent with the country's legal system, foreign policy goals, and international law, official representative of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Fabian Maienfisch told TASS earlier.

Switzerland, which is not a member of NATO or the European Union, supports sanctions against Russia imposed in response to its special military operation in Ukraine. In March 2022, the Russian government approved a list of foreign states and territories that have taken hostile acts against Russia, its companies, and residents. The Swiss Confederation is included in this list.