OUR Swiss government announced today that it will not change its long-standing policy of banning the transfer of Swiss-made weapons to third countries, despite growing pressure from European countries to export them to Ukraine.

Calls for Switzerland to break the centuries-old tradition of neutrality have been heard both at home and abroad since Russia invaded Ukraine just over a year ago. In January, two parliamentary committees recommended that the rules be relaxed.

However, the cabinet denied the request after the meeting.

“The Federal Council is committed to the values ​​of Swiss neutrality and will continue to work to realize the benefits of neutrality,” the statement said. However, he said he would continue to follow the discussions and make additional statements “if necessary”.

Since the beginning of the war, Switzerland has received requests from Germany, Denmark and Spain to re-export military materials to Ukraine, but all of these requests have been denied. However, it accepted EU sanctions and repeatedly called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters}