(Geneva) Switzerland insisted on Friday on the prohibition of the transfer of Swiss war material to Ukraine from a third country, in accordance with its doctrine of military neutrality.
Posted at 5:35 p.m.
The delivery of war material in the form of assembly elements or spare parts to European armament companies will however remain possible, even if the manufactured war material is likely to be sent to Ukraine, the Federal Council has decided .
Switzerland has received requests from Germany and Denmark to send war material to Ukraine, the government in Bern said in a statement.
Germany’s request is for approximately 12,400 pieces of Swiss-made 35mm ammunition for Guepard-type anti-aircraft tanks as well as Piranha III wheeled tanks originally purchased by Denmark and stationed in Germany since their withdrawal from service, a- we said from the same source.
Denmark’s request is for 22 Piranha III tanks produced in Switzerland.
“Since the export of war material from Switzerland to Ukraine cannot be authorized because of the equal treatment resulting from the law of neutrality […] it is not possible to respond favorably to the requests of Germany and Denmark for the transmission of war material to Ukraine,” the Council said.
The government also studied two applications for the export of war material filed by Swiss companies for the delivery of spare parts and assembly elements to armament companies in Germany and Italy.
One of the requests concerns components for anti-tank rocket launchers and the other concerns components intended for air defence.
“Both transactions present the risk that some of the components will be used in war material subsequently delivered to Ukraine,” the government noted, adding that “deliveries of war material in the form of spare parts and assembly are in principle authorized, provided that their share in the final product is less than » 50% for countries such as Italy and Germany.
“The Federal Council has decided to continue this practice, given that such exports are compatible with the law of neutrality”, concludes Berne.