DOMINANT ANGLE
Berne cuts sharply: the Swiss press sees this as a Washington turn towards Moscow, which leaves Kiev feeling betrayed and isolated as the US midterm elections approach.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The decree exempts the application of sanctions and customs duties under the Graham Act in the name of the "national interest of the United States", according to Le Temps.
- 02
The law allowed for customs duties of up to 100 % on the five main importers of Russian gas and oil, including China and India.
- 03
Volodymyr Zelensky says he feels betrayed and is demanding an additional $70 billion from European allies.
ANALYSIS
Berne, October 18, 2026. For the Swiss press, the decree signed on Friday by Donald Trump is not just a technical adjustment, but a change of course towards Moscow. The Times reports that the American president "exempts the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and customs duties provided for in the Graham Act", citing "the national interest of the United States". The Romandy daily emphasizes the symbolic scope of the text: the first major action by Congress against Moscow since Donald Trump's return to power, promulgated in mid-September by the Republican himself.
The Times details what the law provided for: an arsenal targeting the Russian energy sector, the ghost fleet, President Vladimir Putin, and other high-ranking officials, as well as the possibility of customs duties of up to 100% on the five main importers of Russian gas and oil, including China and India. The law is named after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July, and is described by the newspaper as a fierce defender of Ukraine.
On the Ukrainian side, the daily notes that Volodymyr Zelensky "did not hide his feeling of betrayal" and turned to the Europeans, demanding an additional $70 billion to cope with the invasion. The newspaper also mentions shortages of interceptor missiles.
The German-speaking television SRF emphasizes the lack of justification: Donald Trump only said "at this point in the national interest of the USA", without explaining either the interest or the chosen moment. SRF places the decree in a series of gestures over the course of a week: the agreement on Russian diesel, the limitation of Ukrainian use of Starlink, and the public denial of Russian support for Iran. According to the media outlet, the decree also avoids exerting new pressure on China and India, major buyers of Russian oil.
SRF finally puts the decision into the context of American domestic politics: inflation fueled, according to him, by the war in Iran, just a few weeks before the midterm elections. It reports on a question from a Sky News journalist to Volodymyr Zelensky, on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels, about the risk of being used as a scapegoat. The Ukrainian president simply smiled.
