German ambassador unimpressed by Swiss weapons stance

Damaged railway lines in the town of Lyman in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, January 23, 2023. Keystone / Oleg Petrasyuk

For the German ambassador to Switzerland, Bern’s decision not to authorise the re-export of Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine is “incomprehensible”.

“Switzerland, which is so committed to protecting humanitarian and international law, should also take a step to allow countries who wish to support Ukraine to do so,” ambassador Michael Flügger said on RTS public television on Sunday evening.

Bern has previously rejected appeals from Germany, Denmark and Spain to allow the re-export of ammunition to Ukraine. Such a move would run against Swiss rules about sending weapons to conflict zones, and would violate its neutrality, authorities have maintained.

Flügger said that as a result Germany might choose another source to buy weapons from in future. Each individual purchase [or arms] is determined by a procurement process, he said. “And we would perhaps choose the offer which does not come with conditions like those foreseen by Switzerland.”

Position under pressure

Switzerland’s stance on arms exports has come under pressure since the Russian attack on Ukraine, both from partners outside the country and from some politicians and groups internally.

Last week, a Swiss parliamentary committee voted in favour of waiving the re-export ban in order to “make a contribution to European security”.

A survey by the NZZ am Sonntag recently found that 55% of the population would be in favour of allowing the re-export of Swiss arms to Ukraine.

In an interview with several Swiss newspapers last Friday, Flügger said Germany was not angry with its Alpine neighbour for its stance on arms re-exports. But he also reminded Switzerland that it benefits greatly from the security situation provided by its NATO neighbours.