"If we don't help Ukraine, we choose to support Russia". Switzerland may allow arms re-export

This was reported by Reuters.

Recently, the Swiss government has been increasingly urged to abandon the ban on arms supplies to Kyiv, although there is no consensus in parliament on this issue.

The agency refers to one of the supporters of arms transfer to Ukraine - the leader of the center-right Free Democratic Party of Switzerland, Thierry Burkart.

He recently proposed a bill that will provide the opportunity for the government to allow the re-export of Swiss weapons to countries with the same democratic values as Switzerland.

"We want to be neutral, but we are part of the western world," said Thierry Burkart. We shouldn't have the veto to stop others helping Ukraine. If we do that, we support Russia which is not a neutral position," Burkart told Reuters.

"Other countries want to support Ukraine and do something for the security and stability of Europe... They cannot understand why Switzerland has to say no," he added.

Reuters also cites data from a recent sociological survey, according to which 55% of Swiss are in favor of lifting the ban on the re-export of weapons and their supply to Ukraine.

"If we had asked this question before the war..., the response would have probably been less than 25%. Talking about changing neutrality was a taboo in the past," said Lukas Golder, co-director of pollsters GFS-Bern.

In recent months, Bern refused to allow Germany and Denmark to supply Ukraine with Swiss armored vehicles and air defense systems.

As Reuters points out, in Switzerland there are also fears that the current bans will harm the local arms industry, which includes, in particular, the local units of the international companies Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall. In 2021, Switzerland sold arms worth 800 million francs ($876 million) and was among the world's 15 largest arms producers.

According to Stefan Brupbacher, the head of the Swiss military industry association, due to the ban on the re-export of weapons to Ukraine, some companies " have lost contracts and no longer invest in Switzerland." "Our current situation weakens our security policy, hampers the credibility of our foreign policy and damages our companies," he says.

However, some Swiss politicians continue to oppose the supply of weapons to Ukraine. These include the left-wing Green Party and part of the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP).

"Allowing arms shipments to a country involved in an armed conflict is ... destroying the basis of peace and prosperity in our country," said SVP lawmaker David Zuberbueler.

• Recall, the Security Policy Commission of the Swiss National Council approved a motion and a deputy initiative at its meeting on January 24 that would allow the re-export of Swiss weapons from third countries to Ukraine.