Switzerland Becomes Stumbling Block for Western Military Aid to Ukraine
Alpine nation’s reluctance to authorize ammunition transfers to Kyiv frustrates Ukraine’s Western partners
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a suit, visits a training program for Ukrainian soldiers in Putlos, Germany.
By Bojan PancevskiFollow
Feb. 28, 2023 7:20 am ET
The West’s efforts to keep Ukraine supplied with enough ammunition to push back Russian forces has hit a roadblock: Switzerland’s centuries-old tradition of neutrality.
The wealthy Alpine nation is home to a mature weapons industry, but is steeped in the principle that it keeps out of foreign wars. Switzerland’s adherence to a ban on the export and re-export of weapons and ammunition to conflict zones is blocking North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries in Europe from giving Ukraine their stocks of Swiss-made ammunition and arms, none of which are easily substituted.
The ban is now affecting Western-provided weapons systems such as aerial-defense batteries and tanks—and prompting a rethink in Switzerland’s parliament about a pillar of Swiss identity.
The prohibition is adding a bottleneck to already-stressed weapons and, above all, ammunition supply chains, with Ukraine expending far more shells and rockets in a month than its Western partners can produce.
In addition to Western pressure, Ukrainian lawmakers from the parliament’s foreign-affairs committee are now planning a special delegation to visit Bern, the Swiss capital, to call for a policy change.
“They need to do more to help Ukraine,” said Oleksandr Merezhko, the committee chairman.
Spain and Denmark complained after Bern refused to allow the export of Aspide air-defense systems and Piranha III infantry-fighting vehicles to Ukraine, both of which have Swiss-made parts.
Berlin has repeatedly lobbied Bern to shift policy after requests for permission to send Ukraine Swiss-made ammunition acquired by Germany decades ago were denied. These include rounds for the Gepard aerial flak system that Ukraine has successfully deployed against Iranian-made suicide drones, in particular. As a result, Ukrainian forces have been compelled to save ammunition, reducing the effectiveness of the vital system.
“In the case of Ukraine, it is not about neutrality,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said last month. “It is about respecting the right to self-defense, protecting the rule of law, and defending the U.N. Charter.”
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, said abstention wasn’t an option for Switzerland. “Everyone has to be clear on their positions: law or the law of force, democracy and fundamental rights or autocracy.”
So far, Bern argues that there can be no waiver for the ban because it is part of its constitutional order.
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Switzerland’s neutrality can be traced back to 1515, when the Old Swiss Confederacy was defeated by France. Since then, it has largely tried to keep out of Europe’s wars, with neighboring powers recognizing its status in the 1815 Treaty of Paris, staying neutral through the 20th century’s two World Wars.
Today, Switzerland takes a position of what is known as armed neutrality, regulated by international treaties and domestic legislation, which means that the country maintains significant forces to protect its sovereignty but keeps out of foreign conflicts.
Switzerland’s ban on the export and re-export of weapons and ammunition to any conflict zone is part of its constitutional order.
PHOTO: DENIS BALIBOUSE/REUTERS
In the opening weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, though, European leaders and local protesters successfully pressured Switzerland into joining EU sanctions against Moscow, prompting Russia to add Switzerland to its “Unfriendly Countries” list.
Pressure from countries such as Germany, the largest buyer of Swiss armaments, which has threatened to cancel long-term contracts with Swiss companies, has also prompted a debate in the Swiss parliament about amending its laws to allow select third countries to re-export weapons and ammo.
Swiss lawmakers have drafted a set of amendments to the law regulating arms trade that would unlock re-export permissions but it isn’t clear whether these can muster a majority in parliament. Even if the proposal is adopted soon—the process will take three to six months—the change would only come into force early next year at the earliest, according to several lawmakers.
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“Allowing re-exports of Swiss-made materiel would not violate our neutrality but refusing to do so could destroy our armaments industry,” said Thierry Burkart, a senior legislator from the Liberal Party, who drafted a motion to amend the laws. “Weapons are made for war, and if we refuse to supply our partners, we might as well abolish the arms industry,” he added.
Mr. Burkart says there is much at stake: Switzerland is the 14th-largest arms exporter in the world, and the industry is responsible for close to 1% of its gross domestic product.
His proposal envisages a special dispensation for 25 nations that share Swiss values and legal provisions on arms-proliferation control to be able to re-export Swiss-made weapons and ammunitions to third countries. Those nations—Switzerland’s European partners, as well as the U.S., Canada, Australia and Japan—would only be able to re-export after five years of purchasing the materiel.
If adopted, Mr. Burkart’s proposal could also unlock a backfilling scheme that the government has so far rejected, citing neutrality. Around 100 German-made Leopard tanks mothballed by the Swiss armed forces could be sent back to the manufacturer or a third country, which could then supply them to Ukraine.
The initiative is facing opposition from the pacifist Green Party, far-right groups and parts of the conservative bloc and the center-left. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party, the country’s largest political force, is split on the issue, with legislators on the right of the party opposing the initiative.
Eric Nussbaumer, a legislator for the Social Democrats who supports the motion, said: “One can’t hide behind neutrality in this unique war, when a country has been brutally attacked, and even a small nation like Switzerland must find a way to support its neighbors.”
While the debate in Switzerland unfolds, Ukraine’s European partners have struggled to replace Swiss-made ammunition from elsewhere.
Brazil, which holds a major supply of shells for the Gepard and the Leopard systems, has so far rejected German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s requests to buy them. During a state visit by Mr. Scholz to Brasília last month, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva refused to supply the ammunition, saying it wasn’t clear what triggered the conflict—whether it was Russia’s territorial claims, Ukraine’s desire to join Europe or some other cause.
The reason for the war between Russia and Ukraine needed to be clearer, Mr. Lula said. “Is it because of NATO?”
Drew Hinshaw contributed to this article.
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