The Swiss Senate has declined a proposal for an additional emergency aid package of $5.6 billion to Ukraine, along with $11.1 billion for military needs.
The decision came after a vote where 28 senators opposed the creation of a Swiss fund for European security and peace, while 15 supported it.
According to a statement on the Swiss Parliament’s official website, the proposed fund would have allocated an additional 10 billion Swiss francs (about $11.1 billion) to the military by 2030, and 5 billion Swiss francs (around $5.6 billion) to Ukraine as an exception.
Both the government and the Senate opposed this plan, arguing that the expenditures for the military and Ukraine are already planned and cannot be considered emergency expenses.
In April, the Swiss government announced its intention to allocate $5.5 billion to support the reconstruction of Ukraine by 2036, with $1.66 billion earmarked by 2028.
Despite not being a member of the European Union or NATO, Switzerland has aligned itself with nearly all EU sanctions against Russia since February 24, 2022.
Russia has previously issued warnings to NATO countries regarding the supply of weapons to Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that any shipment containing weapons for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia. Additionally, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cautioned that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying Ukraine with arms.
