Irène Kälin was impressed by the confidence of the Ukrainians. They are already planning to rebuild the country, said the tallest Swiss woman after her return. The visit caused background noise in Switzerland.
According to Irène Kälin, Ukraine is hoping for help from Switzerland for the reconstruction – in the form of money and knowledge.
Mutual visits by parliamentary delegations to Ukraine and Switzerland are part of the courant. In September 2021, the then National Council President Andreas Aebi (SVP, Bern) traveled to the Donbass region. Two years ago, the President of the Ukrainian Parliament came to Switzerland.
There are two main reasons why the trip by National Council President Irène Kälin (Greens, Aargau) is still controversial. Critics had feared that the official guests from neutral Switzerland could be exploited by Ukraine. Because recently, the Ukrainian President Zelensky said at a media conference: “You cannot come to us today with empty hands. We don’t just expect gifts or cupcakes. We expect concrete things and concrete weapons.”
The way Kälin used it for exaggerated self-portrayal was not appropriate to the purpose of the trip. On Blick TV, the politician was omnipresent in front of the various scenes. The President of the National Council’s criticism of the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) then caused irritation in federal Bern. Based on a risk analysis, Fedpol advised against a trip. On the train to Kyiv, Kälin reported to Blick TV that she was not accompanied by federal police officers with “a certain surprise”. When asked why she had not asked the army’s AAD 10 reconnaissance detachment, which specializes in such operations, Kälin told the media in Bern on Thursday that she was not sure what the correct procedures would have been.
The SP parliamentary group president Roger Nordmann came to Kälin’s aid. This discussion is completely irrelevant. Ukraine has always ensured the security of the delegation.
SVP politician: Visit compatible with neutrality
For the SVP National Councilor Yves Nidegger, who also traveled, the visit was compatible with Swiss neutrality. He and his party are in favor of a strict interpretation of neutrality. They were against Switzerland adopting EU sanctions against Russia. Nidegger said Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, presented the country’s wish list. These included arms, money, humanitarian aid, tightening sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine’s EU accession. However, he is aware that not all countries can deliver the same thing. At the same time as the Swiss delegation, parliamentarians from Romania and North Macedonia were also in Kyiv on Wednesday.
But no one asked the Swiss delegation directly about weapons, said Roger Nordmann. It is clear to the Ukrainians that neutral Switzerland cannot deliver weapons. Kälin also emphasized that none of the people she spoke to asked about arms deliveries. She was also able to briefly exchange views bilaterally with Zelenskiy in Kyiv. With every statement, she pointed out that Switzerland could not and would not supply weapons, said the President of the National Council. This was accepted by the other side.
Kälin was amazed at how much the country’s reconstruction was already an issue. One talks about infrastructures, the restoration of which is a priority. It was moving to feel the courage and confidence of the people. According to Kälin, Ukraine is hoping for help from Switzerland for the reconstruction – in the form of money and knowledge. Switzerland can and should play an important role here. Switzerland has been present in Ukraine since the 1990s and has supported the reform efforts. After 2014, the SDC in Donbass helped to ensure the drinking water supply for the population on both sides of the contact line.
Reconstruction should be the focus of the Ukraine conference in Lugano
The Ukraine conference planned before the war took place in Lugano at the beginning of July. The findings of the trip help to prepare the conference, said Kälin. On this occasion, the focus should be on aid for reconstruction. In addition, Switzerland can support Ukraine in democratization and decentralization.
According to the parliamentarians, people in Ukraine are aware of what Switzerland is doing for the country by taking in refugees. In the conversations, he was usually the first to be asked about it, said Nordmann. However, he did not fail to mention that Poland had taken in disproportionately more Ukrainians in absolute terms and in relation to the population.