Ukrainian authorities said they were in dire need of anti-aircraft equipment, especially in light of drone and rocket attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
“There is still no reason to respond favorably to Germany’s request to send Swiss war material to Ukraine,” said Guy Parmelin, the Swiss economy minister in a letter to the German defense minister, Christine Lambrecht. The Swiss official cited neutrality and Swiss legislation on war material deliveries in his official refusal.
Switzerland specifically prevented the delivery of 12,400 35mm shells destined for the German Gepard twin-gun tracked anti-aircraft defense system, which Ukraine requested to help take down enemy cruise missiles and kamikaze drones.
“The equal treatment resulting from the law of neutrality does not allow Switzerland to accept a request for the transmission of war material or material of Swiss origin in Ukraine as long as this country is involved in an international armed conflict”, the minister stressed in a press release. .
This has not prevented Swiss weapons and ammunition from appearing in war zones around the world in the past.
Although Switzerland bans the sale of weapons to countries in conflict and prevents countries from selling Swiss equipment to third parties, a joint investigation from several Swiss public broadcasters, NZZ am Sonntag and NGO Lighthouse Reports showed that Swiss weapons are still actively used for sale in war zones in Afghanistan and Yemen, including against civilians.
Swiss-made military aircraft ended up in Afghanistan and then into the hands of the Taliban. The Swiss Sig Sauer 551 assault rifles are used by Saudi Arabian forces against the Houthi rebels in Yemen; and in 2021 the Swiss parliament rejected a total ban on the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.
“Swiss legislation suffers from a double hypocrisy,” Swiss politician Baptiste Hurni told RTS in February. “Saudi Arabia was not considered a war zone, even though we knew it was extremely unstable… The second hypocrisy is what I call the ‘baseball bat syndrome’. If you sell ten baseball bats to a criminal group, do you know if they will play baseball with them? ”.
Some accuse Switzerland of simply turning a blind eye to shipping for the benefit of convenient conflicts. However, in the case of Ukraine, probably under pressure from politicians from the far-right SVP party in power in Switzerland who oppose “excessive” material support for Ukraine, the Swiss authorities cracked down on the export license.
In Switzerland, the debate on Ukraine and historical Swiss neutrality has grown stronger. On Wednesday, the Swiss government announced it would grant $ 100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine for the supply of clean water and the reconstruction of damaged energy infrastructure before the winter period.
The decision by the Swiss Federal Council to join the European sanctions against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine has rekindled the debate. The far right argues that Switzerland is undermining its neutrality in supporting Ukraine. The President of the Confederation and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis said that Switzerland’s support for Ukraine does not violate the country’s neutral foreign policy.
In August, Swiss authorities transferred over $ 106.2 million in humanitarian aid. This includes 135 tons of medical and health equipment and 3,500 tons of relief supplies to Ukraine and neighboring countries.
