One of the chambers of the Swiss parliament, the National Council, rejected a proposal to loosen up the ban on the re-export of ammunition. Earlier, a similar decision was made in another chamber of the parliament, the Council of Cantons.
Swissinfo writes about it.
There they voted for a proposal to amend the law on neutrality and allow the delivery of weapons and ammunition to conflict zones. Parliament supported one of the amendments — if the UN Security Council, by its resolution, recognizes the existence of an aggressive war and condemns the aggressor country. Then Switzerland can help the defending country with arms. But in the context of Russiaʼs war against Ukraine, this will not change anything because the Russian Federation has the right to veto in the UN Security Council.
Instead, the deputies rejected another proposal that could allow the supply of weapons to Ukraine. It proposed to allow supplies if the existence of aggressive war and the aggressor country were determined by the UN General Assembly by a two-thirds vote.
At the same time, there are four other proposals pending in parliament that would allow Switzerland to export and re-export its weapons and ammunition to conflict zones while remaining neutral.
- Germany wants to buy 96 old Leopard 2 tanks from Switzerland. The Swiss army wrote them off and they are currently in storage. Minister of Economy Robert Habek and Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius sent a corresponding letter to Switzerland. They asked that this issue be considered in the Swiss parliament, and also promised that the tanks would not be sent to Ukraine.