RT.com
17 Mar 2023, 04:14 GMT+10
Washington is attempting to make Switzerland drop its arms re-export ban, foreign ministry has warned
The US ambassador to Switzerland appeared to blackmail the Swiss government when he asserted in a recent interview that Bern is in no position to maintain neutrality over the conflict in Ukraine, a senior Russian diplomat has insisted.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was commenting on recent remarks made by US envoy Scott Miller, and connecting them with this week's fall in the share price of Credit Suisse, a leading Swiss financial institution.
"Considering that the second-largest Swiss bank plunged right after three American banks went bust, such a statement looks like direct blackmail," Zakharova said Thursday on social media.
The essence of Miller's message, she added, looked like "drop neutrality and start sending weapons to the Kiev regime, and you'll keep living full-bellied and lavishly; refuse - and bad days are in order."
In his interview with newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung on Thursday, Miller stated that Switzerland was "in the worst crisis since the Second World War" and was being "confronted with what neutrality means." While Washington respects Bern's policy not to sell arms to war zones, he added, it "cannot claim to be neutral and allow one or both sides to use its laws for their own benefit."
The country's stance, which President Alain Berset reaffirmed earlier this month, prevents Swiss-made weapons from being sent to Ukraine, including by other nations. Miller also declared, referring to Russia, that "the aggressor, who violates all principles of international law, benefits from the re-export ban."
Credit Suisse announced on Thursday that it will borrow over $53 billion from the Swiss central bank to stay afloat. The Zurich-based financial giant shed some 25% of its value in two days of trading, as its stock dove to all-time lows.
The US financial sector went into major turmoil after the Silicon Valley Bank imploded last Friday. Days earlier, Silvergate Capital Corporation announced liquidation of its crypto-friendly bank of the same name. On Monday, trouble befell Signature Bank and it became the third-largest US bank to go bankrupt after Washington Mutual in 2008 and Silicon Valley last week.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of San Jose Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to San Jose Sun.
More InformationThis campaign explores ice hockey players' influence and popularity beyond their National Hockey League (NHL) careers. The goal was to ...
(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) The Phoenix Suns will attempt to bounce back from an unfulfilling night at ...
(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) The Denver Nuggets will seek their third straight win on the road when ...
(Photo credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports) Everything is coming together for Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose team has ...
(Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports) Charleston coach Pat Kelsey spent the remainder of the 2023 NCAA Tournament wondering ...
(Photo credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports) The New Orleans Pelicans generally lean on Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram to lead ...
CHEYENNE, Wyoming: This week, the Biden administration raised US$3.4 million from a sale of oil and gas drilling rights in ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks extended their rally on Friday despite remarks by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell ...
MOSCOW, Russia: Russia's trade in oil with India, one of the most lucrative oil trade routes since the imposition of ...
LONDON - Health experts and tobacco campaigners have strongly criticized New Zealand's decision to repeal laws that aimed to ban ...
NEW YORK, New York - The Dow Jones index was the standout on U.S. financial markets on Thursday with a ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Despite the ongoing economic uncertainty, major discounts during the Thanksgiving weekend enticed U.S. shoppers, who spent some US$38 ...