Ukrainian railway boss does not want to buy Swiss trains

Ukrainian railway boss Alexander kamyshin (38) is a fan of Switzerland. “In the field of passenger transport, the SBB and the Rhaetian Bahn among the best in the world,” says kamyshin To look. But the CEO of Bähnler is not on good terms with a Swiss company: the Thurgau train manufacturer Stadler Rail.

Stadler was one of three candidates in the race for a large Ukrainian order for 80 new electric trains. Order volume: about one billion Swiss francs. From August 2021 came even a new Stadler train has already been deployed in the Ukraine for test purposes. Because of the war, Ukraine had to postpone the final decision on who would be in command.

Do Stadler taxes benefit the Russians?

But one thing is clear: Stadler trains are no longer an option for Ukraine at the moment. train boss kamyshin tells Blick, “We still don’t know exactly where Stadler CEO Peter spinner (64) state.” Stadler still has a factory in Belarus. Out Kamyshins position this is unacceptable. Belarus allows Russian troops to launch attacks against Ukraine from its territory. “Stadler pays taxes in Belarus and thereby directly supports the Belarusian railways, which bring Russian troops and weapons into the country.”

Kamyshins Question: “If Stadler is ready to open a factory in Ukraine, we will be happy to continue the discussion about the delivery of new trains.” However, as long as the Swiss specialist in rail vehicles pays taxes in Belarus, there is no interest in talks.

Stadler is ready for talks with Ukraine

Stadler Rail has a production site in 2013 fanipol, about 30 kilometers outside the Belarusian capital Minsk. In 2018, CEO Peter’s company invested in eastern Switzerland spinner another 40 million into the factory. In 2021, there were sometimes 1500 employees. However, after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Stadler effectively shut down the factory. The international sanctions against the Belarusian regime made it impossible for the Swiss company to bring certain components into the country for production. Production was moved to the EU and Switzerland.

Stadler has “consistently and fully implemented the sanctions imposed on Belarus by the US, EU and Switzerland after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” a spokeswoman for Stadler told Blick. “We are ready to help Ukraine rebuild.” Financing a production site in the Ukraine is currently not possible for insurance reasons. We are happy to discuss the delivery of new trains at any time.

Source: Blick