The Security Policy Committee of the Swiss National Council (the lower house of the parliament) has approved a proposal that would allow the indirect export of weapons to Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The Security Policy Committee approved a proposal to amend the law on arms exports to Ukraine.
- The adoption of a decision on weapons for Ukraine depends on the support of deputies at the next stages of consideration of the draft law.
- Switzerland acts as a neutral country, but supports Ukraine in other ways, including sanctions against Russia.
- It is planned to allow the transfer of Swiss weapons to Ukraine if approved by countries such as Germany, Denmark and Spain.
Switzerland may allow indirect arms exports to Ukraine
The committee suggested amending the law prohibiting the re-export of weapons to Ukraine. For this purpose, they introduced a corresponding draft bill for parliament's consideration.
According to the publication, during the consideration in the committee, 10 deputies supported the proposal. Another 10 were "against", and four abstained. The final decision was made by the head of the committee Seiler Graf.
The Swiss National Council and the Council of Cantons (the upper house of parliament) must now consider the draft bill. Only if the deputies support the initiative can the decision on weapons for Ukraine enter into force.
It should be noted that Switzerland is a neutral country, which prohibits it from supplying weapons to Ukraine. The transfer of Swiss-made armaments to the Ukrainian military is also forbidden to third countries.
At the same time, the Swiss authorities support Ukraine in other ways. In particular, they introduced sanctions against Russia, which the European Union approved.
If approved, countries such as Germany, Denmark and Spain will be allowed to transfer Swiss weapons to Ukraine in the future.
What has preceded it?
We will remind you that in mid-May, Bloomberg reported that Switzerland wants to lift restrictions on the export of weapons.
At the same time, the journalists clarified that they plan to maintain the ban on supplies to Ukraine.
