Swiss Parliament to provide Ukraine with $5.5 billion in aid
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
A Swiss parliamentary committee has voted to allocate 5 billion Swiss francs ($5.5 billion) to help Ukraine as part of a broader package of measures aimed at improving the defense capabilities of neutral Bern, Reuters reports.
Backed by lawmakers from both the center-left and center-right, the upper house's security committee approved a package that includes 10.1 billion francs in additional funds for the army, along with a sum for Ukraine.
The plan, which still has to pass a series of parliamentary hurdles before it becomes law, was approved by 8 votes to 5, with right-wing parties opposing the deal.
In a statement, the parliament said that the multi-billion dollar package was intended as an extraordinary contribution to Switzerland's security and “peace in Europe” in the wake of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Switzerland's assistance to Ukraine
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Switzerland has been providing full support to Ukraine, except for arms supplies and military aid.
The reason for this position lies in the centuries-old policy of neutrality proclaimed by Switzerland in 1815. According to it, Bern does not supply arms to other countries, does not participate in military conflicts, and does not authorize the re-export of its weapons to third parties.
It should be noted that last year Switzerland took a step towards supplying Ukraine with weapons, but amendments to the law on military equipment were blocked in the lower house of parliament.
At the same time, Switzerland has allocated more than $5 billion to rebuild Ukraine until 2035.
