Swiss President suggests lifting ban on arms re-export to Ukraine
Photo: Swiss President Viola Amherd (Getty Images)
The ban that currently prevents the re-export of Swiss weapons from another country to Ukraine should be lifted. It is harmful to the industry and the country's security, says Swiss President Viola Amherd.
“Personally, I think we need to make a step forward for our industry,” Viola Amherd, who is also the Minister of Defense, says at a press conference in Bern.
According to her, problems have arisen because countries such as the Netherlands have decided not to buy products from Switzerland, and re-exports are not free.
“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 says.
However, she adds that Switzerland, which mediates in global conflicts, would never supply weapons directly to a country at war.
Despite its longstanding neutrality, Switzerland is a major arms supplier, the 14th largest in the world in 2022, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Arms sales in Switzerland have already fallen in 2023, and critics blame the country's neutral stance for this.
Amherd also says Switzerland needs to invest more in security across Europe and said she plans to strengthen ties with partners, including NATO. “In the last 30 years, Switzerland has not invested enough in defense and we need to catch up,” she says.
Calls for Switzerland to break with its centuries-old tradition of neutrality have been increasing both at home and abroad since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The country's parliament has already recommended loosening gun regulations, although last year the government refused to change its long-standing policy.
