Switzerland banned the sale of ammunition to a Polish company because it was being transferred to Ukraine
- Author:
- Oleksandra Opanasenko
- Date:
The Swiss government banned the export of a Polish company after approximately 645 000 Swiss-made small-caliber ammunition found its way into Ukraine. This violates Swiss law.
This is reported by the Associated Press (AP).
Exports to the Polish company will be banned, because "the risk of diverting ammunition to Ukraine is assessed as too high". Due to its policy of neutrality, Swiss law prohibits the export of military equipment owned or produced in Switzerland to countries where military conflict is ongoing.
The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs launched an investigation following a report by the American publication Defense One in November 2023 that a Ukrainian company had received 645 000 cartridges manufactured by the Swiss company SwissP Defense. They were delivered by the Polish importer UMO.
The investigation showed that the Swiss manufacturer and the Polish company signed a dealer agreement, which stated that the Polish company can resell ammunition only in Poland . But the investigation showed that the Polish company "failed to fulfill its contractual obligations to the Swiss manufacturer" and the ammunition ended up in Ukraine.
- Switzerland has the oldest policy of neutrality in the world, dating back to the early 19th century. The country is not a member of NATO and the European Union, but closely cooperates with them. In the foreign policy strategy for 2024-2027, which was adopted on January 31, 2024, Bern approved its course to strengthen ties with NATO, including participation in military exercises. In the issue of the Ukrainian-Russian war, the country takes a cautious position and prohibits the re-export of its weapons to Ukraine.
- In August 2024, an expert working group on security issues in Switzerland suggested reconsidering neutrality due to the war in Ukraine in favour of military cooperation with NATO and the European Union.
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