EU countries refuse to buy weapons from Switzerland because of its neutrality on Ukraine

Several European Union countries, including Germany, have already refused to buy weapons and ammunition produced by Switzerland. The reason for this was the position of neutrality regarding the war in Ukraine.

Swissinfo reports that Germany was outraged by Switzerland's ban on the transfer of ammunition to Ukraine that was purchased 30 years ago. The EU began to consider Switzerland and its defense industry an unreliable partner.

"The countries are closely linked politically and economically and share many of the same values. Germany is also the largest buyer of Swiss weapons, ammunition and other military goods. But now it has decided to exclude Swiss companies from some Bundeswehr purchases," the publication says.

According to the data provided, the corresponding letter was sent to the federal armaments agency Armasuisse. Now there is "anxiety among Swiss defense companies," and politicians from all parties are outraged by Berlin's decision, which "does not respect the democratic process and the country's neutrality."

The publication added that Germany has sent a clear message: Switzerland is not perceived as a reliable partner, as it has banned Berlin from transferring military equipment to Ukraine, and this is the most important thing.

Anton Pavlushko, an OSINT researcher and analyst from Germany, explained the Swiss outrage. According to him, the country's manufacturers are being "cut out" of the arms market because it has been blocking any supplies of its products to Ukraine, where the war is ongoing, for three years.

"Because it is cunningly neutral," the German-speaking analyst said of Switzerland.

He added that in one of the most recent cases, Berlin wanted to buy 100,000 camouflage nets for the Bundeswehr, but without Swiss companies.

Reasons for the dispute and what other countries are outraged

"It all started with the fact that two years ago Switzerland banned the Germans from transferring 12,400 rounds of ammunition for Cheetahs (self-propelled anti-aircraft guns) to Ukraine. They are formally equipped with the Swiss 35-mm Oerlikon GDF cannon, the manufacturer of which was bought by Rheinmetall," the OSINT researcher said.

It is known that Germany purchased this ammunition from Switzerland 30 years ago. However, the latter denied Kyiv the right to re-export them, citing its own legislation regulating military-technical cooperation with foreign countries and explicitly prohibiting the re-export of Swiss-made military materials to warring countries.

Even though it clearly condemned Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, Bern noted that such legal provisions were binding for their military-industrial complex. This decision caused Berlin's sharp dissatisfaction, which, for its part, reminded that, as a member of the NATO defense bloc, Germany should be able to support its partners in the Alliance, in particular in the field of military assistance. And if Switzerland obstructs this, it will "have to look for other solutions," as the country has already officially notified all Swiss defense companies.

Last year, the Netherlands followed a similar path, where the parliament decided to completely stop purchasing defense equipment from Switzerland. This followed Bern's blocking of the re-export of 96 Leopard 1 tanks stored in Italy. The Netherlands, on the other hand, was ready to pay for their repair and modernization in Germany before sending them to Ukraine.

According to media reports, Denmark and Spain are also considering the possibility of doing without Swiss military products in the future. For example, two years ago, Switzerland banned Copenhagen from transferring Piranha III wheeled armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, also citing its legislation governing military-technical cooperation. Madrid, on the other hand, wanted to transfer 35-millimeter anti-aircraft missiles imported from Switzerland to Kyiv, but Bern refused to do so as well.

As OBOZ.UA reported, Switzerland recently expressed support for the "peace initiative" of China and Brazil to end the war in Ukraine. They said that it allegedly offers an alternative to "aggressive rhetoric that was heard at UN meetings by Ukraine and Russia".

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!