No armaments
Swiss parliament rejects “Lex Ukraine”.
6/2/2023 6:54 am
Countries that have Swiss weapons and other armaments in their stocks or warehouses are still not allowed to deliver them to Ukraine. Despite the recommendation of a committee, the parliament in Bern rejects the request. Greens and right-wing conservatives, among others, insist on neutrality and the distance to NATO.
The Swiss parliament has rejected an exemption for the transfer of armaments to Ukraine. The majority of deputies in the National Council voted against a corresponding proposal that had been drawn up by the security policy committee of the upper chamber of parliament. The “Lex Ukraine” would have provided for other states to be allowed to deliver Swiss-made war material to Ukraine. The laws of neutral Switzerland prohibit aid to countries involved in acts of war. With this justification, the Confederates have so far prohibited the transfer of tank ammunition to the Ukraine, which was sold from Switzerland to Germany years ago.
Those in favor of an exception argued that Switzerland must provide more support to Ukraine and contribute to European security. The opponents, including the Greens and right-wing conservatives from the SVP, feared a violation of neutrality and a too close rapprochement with NATO.
However, the vote does not end the discussion about a fundamental change in the War Material Act. Among other things, the Security Policy Committee is currently considering the idea of allowing the transfer of weapons and ammunition if the UN Security Council or two-thirds of the UN General Assembly decide that a war of aggression is in violation of international law.
Defense company Ruag wants a tank deal
Meanwhile, the Swiss armaments company Ruag had submitted an export request for 96 Leopard 1 tanks the day before, despite negative signals from the government. This was confirmed by the national State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. According to Ruag, the German armaments group Rheinmetall is interested in the purchase. The used and currently not operational tanks should then later be passed on to the Ukraine.
In response to an informal request from RUAG, the State Secretariat (Seco) announced in March that there would be no approval for such a transaction. A spokeswoman explained why RUAG nevertheless submitted an official application with the desire for an “official decision from Seco so that we can better assess the business options”. The tanks had been bought from Italy a few years ago. The Swiss army wanted to process them and sell them on or use them as a spare parts store. The tanks are still in Italy.