Switzerland bans Germany from sending Swiss ammunition to Ukraine

The Swiss Confederation has prohibited Germany from sending ammunition produced in Switzerland to Ukraine. A ban on helping Ukraine via Germany based on the fact that Switzerland intends to remain a neutral country.

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First of all neutral does not mean pacifist, moreover Switzerland is in the leading group of the most armed countries per inhabitant, with an average of 46 weapons per 100 people, but in this case the dispute between the Germany and Switzerland relates in particular to the delivery of ammunition. In this specific case, it is 12,400 35 mm ammunition intended for the Cheetah. It is a tracked anti-aircraft defense system that the Ukrainians are calling for in particular to destroy in flight Iranian cruise missiles and kamikaze drones launched by Russian forces. Germany intends to deliver 30 Cheetah systems to Ukraine, but it lacks ammunition.

However, you should know that when a country buys weapons, there are often clauses, including one that prohibits the resale of weapons purchased from other countries. This explains this request from Germany to make an exception and to authorize it, given the circumstances, to redirect this ammunition to Ukraine. Authorization refused for the second time by the Swiss. A first request was sent to them last April. To support its request, Germany explains that it is not a question of weapons used for the attack but for the defense, but nothing makes there the Switzerland camps on its position.

Switzerland does not accept that its ammunition can be used in a country at war, because in this case it would no longer be neutral. However, there is a bit of hypocrisy in the position of our Swiss neighbours: Switzerland is not taking sides in the conflict, but it has just granted Ukraine a hundred million dollars in humanitarian aid. This money will help the country to supply itself with drinking water, but also to rehabilitate damaged energy infrastructures, as winter approaches. In addition, Switzerland has adopted all the sanctions introduced against Russia by the European Union since February 24, the date of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Two examples which show that Swiss neutrality is a little porous, moreover certain politicians rather on the right in the country believe that Switzerland is doing too much and that this risks undermining this famous principle of neutrality. Accusations refuted by the Swiss president, who tirelessly repeats that this is not the case.


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