Switzerland urged to join taskforce on Russian sanctions

Ambassadors from the G7 countries have sent a letter to the Swiss government asking it to join an international taskforce for implementing the sanctions on Russian oligarchs, the Handelszeitung newspaper has reported. The letter was specifically about the G7’s REPO (Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs) taskforce, which Bern has to date declined to join, the newspaper wrote on Thursday. It cited a spokesman for the economics ministry, who confirmed that the request had been received, but that the government had not yet discussed it. + Seizing Russian foreign reserves: a feasible option for Switzerland? Another ministry spokesman told the newspaper on Friday that the question of “if and how Switzerland would participate in the taskforce was currently being looked at by the relevant federal services”. The government already closely follows REPO’s activities, the spokesman added. International strain The Handelszeitung suggests that pressure is building on the Swiss government...