WSJ: Swiss neutrality seriously prevents the West from providing military assistance to UkraineSwitzerland prevents the West from providing military assistance to Ukraine, writes the WSJ.
Because of its neutrality, Bern refuses to allow third countries to transfer Swiss-made weapons to Kiev. But the country's parliament is ready to reconsider the centuries-old tradition.
Switzerland's unwillingness to authorize the transfer of ammunition to Kiev upsets Ukraine's Western partners.The West's attempts to provide Ukraine with enough ammunition so that it could fight back against Russian troops have run into a serious obstacle, namely the centuries-old Swiss tradition of neutrality.
A strong arms industry has been formed in this rich Alpine country, but Switzerland firmly follows the principle of non-interference in foreign wars. And it is her commitment to the ban on the export and re-export of weapons and ammunition to combat zones that does not allow the European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to transfer their own stocks of Swiss-made weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, which are not so easy to replace.
Currently, this ban applies to a number of weapons systems supplied by the West, such as air defense batteries and tanks. He is pushing the Swiss Parliament to rethink one of the pillars of national identity.
This ban is becoming another bottleneck in the already overloaded supply chains of weapons and ammunition, as Ukraine spends much more shells and missiles per month than its Western partners can produce.
In addition to pressure from the West, deputies from the foreign affairs committee of the Ukrainian parliament plan to send a special delegation to Bern, the capital of Switzerland, to urge this country to change its policy.
"They need to make more efforts to help Ukraine," said the chairman of the committee, Alexander Merezhko.
Spain and Denmark filed complaints after Bern refused to allow them to export the Aspide air defense system and Piranha III infantry fighting vehicles to Kiev – Swiss-made parts are used in these weapons.
Berlin has repeatedly called on Bern to change its policy after Switzerland refused to give it permission to send Swiss-made ammunition purchased by Germany several decades ago to Ukraine. These include shells for the Cheetah anti-aircraft missile system. As a result, Kiev is forced to save ammunition, which reduces the effectiveness of the most important weapons systems.
"In the case of Ukraine, we are not talking about neutrality," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in January. "We are talking about respect for the right to self–defense, to defend the rule of law, to defend the UN Charter."
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Switzerland simply cannot choose for itself the option of non-participation. "Everyone should clearly define their position: the law or the power of force, democracy and fundamental rights or autocracy," she said.
So far, Bern claims that he cannot refuse the ban because it is part of the Swiss constitutional system.
The tradition of neutrality of this country dates back to 1515, when the Swiss Union was defeated by France. Since then, he has tried to stay away from European wars, and neighboring powers recognized his neutral status in the Treaty of Paris of 1815. As a result, Switzerland managed to remain neutral even during the two world wars.
Today, Bern takes the position of so-called armed neutrality, regulated by international treaties and domestic legislation. This means that the country has significant forces to protect its sovereignty, but at the same time it refrains from participating in foreign conflicts.
However, in the first weeks after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, European leaders and local activists managed to put pressure on Bern and convince it to join the EU sanctions against Russia, which prompted Moscow to add Switzerland to the list of "unfriendly states".
Pressure from countries such as Germany, which is the largest buyer of Swiss weapons and which has threatened to terminate long-term contracts with Swiss companies, also triggered discussions in the Swiss Parliament. Deputies are discussing the issue of amendments to the laws that would allow selected third countries to re-export weapons and ammunition produced in this country.
Swiss lawmakers have prepared a number of amendments to the law regulating the arms trade to allow the issuance of re-export permits, but it is unclear whether these amendments will be able to gain a majority in parliament. According to sources, even if the proposal is adopted in the near future (and it may take from three to six months), the changes will take effect at best at the beginning of next year.
"If we allow the re–export of Swiss-made equipment, it will not violate our tradition of neutrality, while failure to do so could destroy our military industry," said Thierry Burkart, a senior Liberal Party member of parliament who drafted the amendment proposal. "Weapons are made for war, and if we refuse to supply our partners, we may as well immediately liquidate our own weapons industry."
According to Burkart, a lot is at stake now: Switzerland ranks 14th in the world in terms of arms exports. This industry accounts for about 1% of the country's gross domestic product.
The policy proposal provides for granting 25 States that share Swiss values and legal provisions on arms proliferation control a special permit for the re-export of Swiss-made weapons and ammunition to third countries. These countries – Switzerland's European partners, as well as the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan – will be able to re-export only five years after the purchase of equipment.
If accepted, Burkart's proposal will also allow the use of one scheme, one hundred Leopard tanks of German production, which the Swiss armed forces previously put on conservation, can be sent back to the manufacturer or a third country for their subsequent transfer to Ukraine.
This initiative has met resistance from the pacifist Green Party, far-right groups and some factions of the conservative bloc and the center-left. In the Swiss People's Party, which is the largest political force in the country, opinions on this issue are divided – lawmakers from the right wing oppose the initiative under discussion.
Eric Nussbaumer, a Social Democrat MP who supports the initiative, said the following: "We cannot hide behind neutrality in this unique conflict. One country has been subjected to a brutal attack, and even a small state like Switzerland must find a way to support its neighbors."
While the debate continues in Switzerland, Ukraine's European partners are struggling to replace Swiss-made ammunition with supplies from other countries.
Brazil, which has at its disposal substantial stocks of shells for the Cheetah and Leopard systems, has so far rejected the requests of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for their purchase. During Scholz's state visit to Brasilia in January, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva refused to supply ammunition. According to Lula, it is unclear to him what exactly provoked the conflict – whether it was Russia's territorial claims, Ukraine's desire to join Europe or some other reason.
Lula stressed the need to clarify the cause of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine: "Did it start because of NATO?"
Author of the article: Bojan Pancevski
