The Swiss Council of States adopted an amendment to the Law on the Re-export of Military Goods, which should allow third countries to supply of Swiss weapons to Ukraine.

The news was published on the Swiss government website.

The country’s government has previously refused several requests to re-export Swiss weapons, citing neutrality and the Law on Military Goods. The parliament then developed several scenarios so that Switzerland would not be left with its hands tied in the face of the war in Ukraine.

The new amendment regulates the general re-export of Swiss weapons. In the future, weapons buying countries will sign declarations of refusal to resell them to other countries. However, this will now be limited to 5 years for “countries that share Swiss values and have a comparable export control regime”.

The transfer of military goods will be permitted to countries involved in the conflict and legitimately exercising their right to self-defense in accordance with public international law.

Now, the decision must be reviewed by the National Council (the lower house of the parliament).

Swiss weapons for Ukraine

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Germany, Spain, and Denmark have already asked Switzerland to permit the re-export of weapons, but they were refused, justifying the decision by the political neutrality of the country.

Thus, Spain was denied a request to re-export Aspide missiles to Ukraine, which are part of the Skyguard system developed and produced by the Swiss Oerlikon Contraves (now Rheinmetall Air Defense) company, which also includes Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannons.

Switzerland also blocked Germany’s supply of 35-mm ammunition, used in Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, supplied by Germany to Ukraine, and which greatly contributed to the effective air defense of Ukraine.

Last June, the country’s government blocked the supply of Swiss-made Piranha III armored wheeled vehicles from Denmark.

At the beginning of June this year, the Swiss defense company RUAG submitted a request to the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs to sell 96 German Leopard 1 tanks to transfer them to Ukraine.

The country also considered an option of supporting Ukraine with the transfer of Leopard 2A4 tanks to third countries with the subsequent transfer of similar vehicles to Ukraine. Thus, the Swiss government recently supported the request of Germany and the German defense company Rheinmetall to buy back the old Leopard 2A4 tanks.