MPs boycott speech
Zelenskyj appeals to Switzerland: Weapons “essential” for peace
06/15/2023, 3:55 p.m
In his speech to the Swiss parliament, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy tries to keep the balance: he doesn’t go into the country’s neutrality requirement – but he still asks for the green light for arms deliveries. The video message from Kiev goes too far for right-wing MPs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Switzerland to allow the re-export of war material to Ukraine. “We ask for arms deliveries so that Ukrainian soil can become a territory of peace again,” Zelenskyy said in a video message to the Swiss parliament in Bern.
Supplies of arms and ammunition are essential to fight the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy said. “I know that there is a discussion in Switzerland about the export of war material to protect and defend Ukraine,” said the Ukrainian president. “We need weapons so that we can restore peace in Ukraine.”
Based on a narrow interpretation of neutrality, Switzerland prohibits countries that buy Swiss weapons from exporting them to parties to conflicts. This also applies to ammunition for the German Gepard anti-aircraft tank.
Right-wing MPs stay away from speech
In addition, Zelenskyj proposed a “global peace summit” in which Switzerland could play an important role. He did not give details or a date. In the speech, Selenskyj referred to his own “peace formula” that he presented last year after the start of the Russian war of aggression against his country. “You can take the lead where you can best use your national expertise to implement this peace formula,” said Zelenskyj in front of the MPs.
The appearance was controversial. Most members of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) stayed away from the speech because they saw it as interference in Swiss politics. There is a debate in Switzerland as to whether the country should relax its 200-year-old neutrality and give up its resistance to the transfer of Swiss arms to Ukraine.
Selenskyj only addressed this indirectly. He thanked all sanctions packages against Russia, all arms deliveries and the asset freeze of Russian oligarchs. “Those who support us protect the world from war,” he said.
After all, the larger parliamentary chamber, the National Council, has just set the course for Switzerland to be able to sell back 25 of its 96 decommissioned Leopard 2 tanks to Germany. Berlin wants to upgrade them and pass them on to Ukraine. The tanks must be formally decommissioned by Parliament. A majority of the National Council voted in favor of this on Wednesday. The second chamber still has to vote on this. The government then has the last word. She signaled approval.