Switzerland govt allows Germany & Italy to supply parts of military equipment to Ukraine

A day after the Swiss government denied permission to Denmark and Germany to export Swiss-made war equipment to Ukraine, it has now allowed the supply of parts for military equipment to the war-ravaged nation. According to the statement released by Switzerland Federal Council, it has approved two requests by Swiss companies to export war materiel supplies in the form of individual parts and assembly packages to defence companies in Germany and Italy.

As per the release, one of the requests concerns components for hand-held anti-tank weapons, the other for anti-aircraft weapons components. "With both requests, there is a risk that some of the components could be incorporated into war materiel abroad that could then be passed on to Ukraine," it said.

Earlier on Friday, the Swiss government rejected the proposal citing the neutrality law that bans the export of war material to a country at war. The report mentioned that the German government requested the transfer of 2,400 Swiss-made 35mm ammunitions for the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and the Piranha III armoured personnel carrier. The weapons were originally purchased by Copenhagen and have been stored in Berlin after their decommissioning. 

What is Switzerland War Materiel Act?

According to the Switzerland weapon law, which is also known as the 'War Materiel Act,' the arms and ammunition produced in the country must not be used as war material due to the country's stance to remain neutral at the time of conflict. In other words, the act bans the transfer of Swiss-made weapons systems, ammunition and other war material to a country involved in an international conflict. The Swiss administration underscored that Russia and Ukraine are involved in the conflict and, therefore, they would not honour the transfer of Swiss-made weapons to the battleground. 

How does the Swiss government allow Germany and Italy to transfer military equipment to Kyiv?

The Federal Council underscored that the War Materiel Act allows Swiss companies to participate in international value chains of the defence industry. It has generally been the Federal Council's practice to approve the export of individual parts and assembly packages if their share in the end product's value remains below a certain threshold (less than 50% in the case of Italy or Germany), according to the law.

Notably, Friday, June 3, marked the 100th day of the ongoing relentless war. Ever since the onset of the conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his counterparts from other countries have been pitching their voices at several international platforms for the supply of advanced weapons to their country. Earlier in May, President Zelenskyy, during his "signature style" of addressing his country, had said there was no way to win the war except the Ukrainian soldiers being given more advanced weapons that could deter the aggression of Russian forces.