Swiss voters on Sunday decisively rejected stricter neutrality rules that would have prevented the country from sanctioning Russia and curbed its cooperation with NATO, delivering a boost to the alliance’s efforts to counter Moscow.
Publicly endorsed by the Kremlin, the far-right-backed constitutional proposal was expected to fail, but the 70-30% result was greater than pollsters predicted — a blow to Russia, which is betting on an EU that is, if not friendlier to Moscow, “hamstrung by discord,” a Carnegie Endowment expert wrote.
In November, Swiss voters will decide whether the country should be allowed to export weapons to allied countries involved in armed conflict, a change that could bolster Swiss ties with other European nations and boost its defense manufacturers.