Swiss President Viola Amherd stated that Switzerland will not provide weapons to Ukraine, asserting that the “state of emergency” law does not apply in this case.
Responding to a question about whether Switzerland could supply arms to Ukraine in this manner, Amherd stated, “The emergency law has not been discussed. The right to declare a state of emergency can only be activated in cases of extreme necessity, as was the case during the ‘COVID-19’ crisis, and the Parliament is currently discussing amendments to the military equipment law.”
In an interview with the Swiss newspaper “Blick,” Amherd emphasized that Switzerland would continue to purchase ammunition, despite shortages in Europe and Ukraine‘s needs.
In December, Russian ambassador to Switzerland Sergei Garmonin, stated in an interview with “Sputnik” agency that Switzerland would face economic consequences if it decided to supply weapons to Ukraine, and the country would lose its economic geographical status.
In May, Switzerland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pascale Baeriswyl, stated that re-exporting Swiss weapons to Ukraine is impossible without changing the legislation.
Switzerland is not a member of the European Union or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but Bern (the capital) has nearly adhered to all European sanctions against Russia since February 24, 2022.
Earlier, Russia sent a memorandum to NATO countries regarding arms supplies to Ukraine, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that any shipment containing weapons to Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out that Western arms supplies to Ukraine do not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative impact.
