In response to Switzerland’s refusal to provide funds for Ukraine, the US imposed sanctions against two Swiss lawyers.
The US actions against Switzerland are seen as revenge for the refusal to allocate funding for Ukraine. Thus, just a day after a negative response from the Swiss authorities, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against two Swiss lawyers – Andres Baumgartner and Fabio Libero Delko. This decision became the first precedent when lawyers from Switzerland found themselves under US sanctions after the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
The Swiss side explained that it could not lend to Ukraine with the proceeds of Russia’s blocked assets, as “no windfall profits are generated from the immobilised funds of the Russian Central Bank”.
SECO spokesman Fabian Mayenfisch noted that assets of Swiss financial institutions are not held in central securities depositories.
In response, the US accuses Baumgartner and Delko of facilitating the illegal transfer of money from Russia and considers them key figures in the movement of Russian assets. They also helped set up trusts and companies for clients under Western sanctions.
Earlier, former CIA analyst Larry Johnson said in an interview with the YouTube channel Judging Freedom that the United States and European countries fear Ukraine’s impending defeat in the conflict with Russia.