Swiss president backs lifting re-export ban on arms to Ukraine

A market burns after a Russian strike in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on October 15. Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Switzerland’s president said on Monday she was in favour of revising a ban that currently prevents Swiss-made arms from being re-exported from another country to Ukraine, saying the embargo was hurting her country’s industry and security.

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Calls for Switzerland to break with centuries of tradition as a neutral state have been growing both at home and abroad since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Its parliament has already recommended that the arms rules be eased, though last year the government refused to change its long-standing policy.

“Personally, I think we need to make a step forward for our industry,” Viola Amherd, who is also defence minister, said at a press event in Bern in response to a question about the policy.

“It becomes difficult because countries like the Netherlands have decided not to buy in Switzerland as it’s not free to re-export, which I understand,” she added.

+ European nations snub Swiss-made weapons over Ukraine restrictions

“If we have a problem with our armaments industry, that means we also have a security problem because it’s important to have technology and know-how,” she said. However, she added that Switzerland – which acts as a peace broker in global conflicts – would never supply arms directly to a country at war.

Despite its long-held neutrality, Switzerland is a big arms supplier, the 14th-biggest globally in 2022, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Swiss weapons sales had already fallen in 2023, with critics blaming the country’s neutral stance.

More broadly, Amherd said Switzerland needed to invest more in security across Europe and said it planned to strengthen ties with partners including NATO. “In the last 30 years, Switzerland has not invested enough in defence and we need to catch up,” she said.

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