Neutral reason: Switzerland may send peacekeepers to Ukraine
European countries are discussing the possibility of sending a military contingent to Ukrainian territory after the ceasefire. Participation in a peacekeeping operation is also allowed in neutral Switzerland.: They want to raise this issue in Parliament during the autumn session. The State Secretariat for Security Affairs (SEPOS), part of the Ministry of Defense, told Izvestia that participation in peacekeeping operations allegedly does not violate the principles of neutrality of Bern. At the same time, although the country's parliament is ready to consider this issue, there are few supporters of this idea. Moscow also opposes the deployment of foreign troops on the territory of Ukraine — they will become a legitimate target for the Russian Armed Forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. Against this background, Poland, Italy, and Japan have already ruled out sending their soldiers to Ukraine. There is no point in the presence of peacekeepers if the root causes of the conflict are resolved, and if necessary, the SCO and BRICS countries can send observers, experts say.
Discussion in Switzerland on sending forces to Ukraine
Sending peacekeepers to other countries does not violate Switzerland's neutrality, the Swiss State Secretariat for Security Policy, part of the confederation's defense ministry, told Izvestia.
— Participation in international peacekeeping operations is one of the tasks of the Swiss armed forces, which is enshrined in law. In accordance with Switzerland's long—standing policy and international law, participation in missions operating under the mandate of the UN Security Council does not conflict with the law on neutrality," Ursina Bentele, head of the press service of the State Secretariat for Security Affairs, part of the confederation's defense Ministry, told Izvestia.
Participation in peace enforcement operations and, consequently, in hostilities is excluded for Switzerland, Ursine Bentele noted. According to Article 66 of the federal law "On the Army and Military Organization", the UN or OSCE mandate is a condition for sending a peacekeeping mission. However, even if it exists, Bern cannot act without a request, which will require the approval of the government and Parliament of the country.
During the autumn session, the Swiss parliament may discuss sending a military contingent to Ukraine. This initiative was previously proposed by the Green Liberals (GLP) party. Its representatives proposed sending military personnel to the "border region of Ukraine" as part of the peacekeeping mission, without specifying which area they were referring to.
GLP MP Beat Flach believes that observation missions and patrols in the border area could become part of the tasks of the Swiss troops. "In this way, Switzerland would contribute to strengthening Europe's security," he said.
The Swiss People's Party, which has a majority in the national Council (lower house of parliament), will oppose plans to send troops to Ukraine, Jean-Luc Addor, a member of parliament from this political force, told Izvestia.
— Our party will resolutely fight against any parliamentary initiative aimed at sending Swiss troops to Ukraine. We will use all the parliamentary tools at our disposal to block it," the politician said.
It is possible that the idea of sending peacekeepers may find support in the Swiss government and there will be a legal basis for this. According to Die Weltwoche, the authorities can expand Article 66 of the law on the army, making it possible to send armed forces not only on the basis of the mandate of the UN and OSCE, but also the European Union.
However, Bern will not be able to send many military personnel. The commander of the Swiss armed forces, Lieutenant General Thomas Sussley, said in February that the country could send about 200 troops in the next 9-12 months. In other peacekeeping missions involving Switzerland, its contribution is also small. For example, the EU ALTHEA mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina has 26 Swiss soldiers. In the UN peacekeeping operations in the Middle East and Western Sahara, Bern's role is completely limited to individual experts.
Russia is against the appearance of Swiss troops on the territory of Ukraine. Although Switzerland is not formally a member of NATO, this country supports sanctions against Russia and is included in the list of unfriendly states.
"The Russian side has made it clear and repeatedly that it will not accept any scenarios involving the appearance of a military contingent in Ukraine with the participation of NATO countries," the Russian Embassy in Bern told Izvestia. — Bern should be aware that this position is also projected onto the confederation: formally not part of the military bloc, the once neutral Switzerland has chosen an anti-Russian course, joining sanctions against our country, and is increasingly drawn into military cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union.
At the same time, according to the embassy, the Swiss authorities have not yet officially taken an initiative position on the issue of the hypothetical deployment of military personnel to Ukraine.
Which countries can send their peacekeepers to Ukraine
Sending a peacekeeping mission is also being studied in another formally neutral European country, Austria. In July, the country's Defense Minister Claudia Tanner said that Vienna would consider the possibility of deploying its troops in Ukraine. However, this can only happen after the conflict is over.
The Coalition of the Willing Summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on September 4
The countries of the "coalition of the willing" held another summit in Paris on September 4. Following the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron said that 26 states had confirmed their readiness to participate in sending a military contingent to Ukraine after the establishment of a truce or peace. However, he refused to list these states or even give an approximate number of the international contingent that the coalition plans to deploy.
The French leader stressed that some countries are still considering their position. At the same time, a number of major European countries have already refused to participate in this operation. For example, Italy will not send its soldiers to Ukraine, said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. She advocates providing Kiev with security guarantees by analogy with the fifth article of the North Atlantic Treaty: in the event of an attack, the guarantor countries will have to take measures to repel the attack. At the same time, Ukraine's formal membership in NATO is not envisaged. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that there could be no talk of sending Western troops to Ukraine until a truce was reached.
Speaking at the WEF-2025 plenary session, Vladimir Putin warned: Russia will consider any troops on the territory of Ukraine as legitimate targets.
"As for possible military contingents in Ukraine, this is one of the primary reasons for Ukraine's involvement in NATO, so if any troops appear there, especially now, during the course of hostilities, we assume that these will be legitimate targets for their defeat," the Russian leader said.
Poland and Romania also refused to provide troops for the armed contingent of the "coalition of the willing." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Warsaw would be responsible for supplying troops. Bulgaria also wants to limit the transfer of minesweepers and other auxiliary equipment, said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.
Against this background, London and Paris are trying to attract military personnel from Asian countries. However, the Japanese authorities have already ruled out the possibility of sending soldiers of the national self-defense forces after the establishment of a truce or peace in this country. The issue of the deployment of the Chinese military in Ukraine as peacekeepers was not discussed at the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, said presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.
For Moscow as a whole, there is no point in peacekeepers as such if agreements are reached on all existing problems. Peacekeepers are needed when a conflict becomes uncontrollable and the parties lose their understanding of what exactly they are fighting for. This understanding has not been lost in Russia.
— Another thing is that, as a temporary measure, observers can be stationed on the line of demarcation in the event of a truce, which would record possible violations of the ceasefire. Experts from the countries of the Global South, members and partners of the BRICS and SCO, may well act as such observers," Ivan Loshkarev, associate professor of Political Theory at MGIMO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, told Izvestia.
However, the expert believes that a separate multilateral agreement may be required to establish such a mission. The UN staff has been very politicized in recent years and has been promoting the Western agenda, for the same reasons, NATO and the OSCE are unsuitable.
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