Spain wants to deliver Swiss war material to Ukraine, but federal government says no drone attack on Rhine Falls: mother protects daughter at the last minute

The discussion about the re-export of Swiss arms is a chapter richer: as Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced on Tuesday afternoon, the country could not deliver certain military goods to Ukraine due to a lack of Swiss approval.

According to several Spanish media, including the Europapress news portal, Robles sharply criticized Swiss legislation at a meeting of Spanish ambassadors in Madrid.

While respecting Swiss neutrality, this currently prevents Spain from “participating in a legitimate defense against the unjust, illegal and brutal Russian invasion” of Ukraine. Robles announced that he would soon be going to Switzerland.

No re-exports to war countries

That has not happened so far: the responsible State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (Seco) reports when asked that “so far it has not received any request on the official channel to pass on Swiss war material from Spain to Ukraine”. Should such a message arrive in the coming days, Seco has the following answer ready: “Due to the principle of equal treatment under the Neutrality Act and the War Material Act, Swiss war material may not be passed on to Ukraine.”

The reason for this is the so-called non-re-export declaration. This is enshrined in the War Material Act. It stipulates that all countries purchasing arms or ammunition from Switzerland undertake not to transfer the military goods to a third country without authorization. Any export to countries involved in an “international armed conflict” remains prohibited by law, as it is not compatible with Swiss neutrality.

The federal government has already rejected applications from Germany and Denmark

Swiss authorities rejected similar requests last year. In April, the German government approached Switzerland with two requests: on the one hand, to supply Ukraine with Swiss ammunition for the Cheetah tank and on the other hand, several Swiss-made wheeled infantry fighting vehicles. In June, Denmark also requested permission to transfer 22 wheeled armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. The Seco rejected both requests citing neutrality and the War Material Act.

Switzerland’s insistence on its laws is not without consequences: as the “Tages-Anzeiger” recently reported, the German government wants to become independent of the Swiss arms industry. The past has shown that Switzerland is not a reliable armament partner in times of war.

FDP chairman calls for relaxation of the law

Representatives of the Swiss arms industry fear this disconnection. They question Switzerland’s neutrality: Can Switzerland afford to refrain from arms exports? Or can neutrality be interpreted as not endangering the defense industry?

FDP chairman Thierry Burkart advocates relaxation of the War Material Act in the first place. He filed a motion on this last June. Burkart proposes that all exporting countries no longer have to sign a non-re-export declaration. States that “share Swiss values ​​and have a similarly strict arms export regime” should refrain from making such a declaration in the future and be able to freely dispose of Swiss-derived war material. In addition to numerous European countries, this should also include the US, Australia and Japan.

The Federal Council rejects the motion. Because of the relaxation of the law, it cannot be ruled out that Swiss war material will go “to unwanted end recipients”. At the beginning of February, the subject was on the agenda of the Security Policy Committee of the Council of States. (bzbasel.ch)