Germany has Swiss-made 35mm ammunition that it wants to transfer to Ukraine (for the Gepard flakpanzers that Germany donated) but Switzerland won’t approve the transfer. This is becoming an issue as ammo stocks are depleted. Germany is setting up a production facility but it won’t be operational until June.
Not a unique situation. Canada sold armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia under the condition that they wouldn’t be used in certain instances (for example, against internal civilian populations and foreign civilians such as in Yemen). Saudi apparently violated that agreement. There was/is a big political stink over that one. Canceling the contract would cost Canada billions in cancellation fees/penalties so it seems they’re reluctantly proceeding with deliveries, and these may already be complete.
If it helps the local defense industrial base, Switzerland sometimes does cherry-pick what it chooses to enforce, though.
Can’t read the whole article because I’m not going to disable my ad blocker, but Switzerland is subject to a lot of export laws due to their neutrality status.
That is why Sig-Sauer had to be created because if the handguns weren’t built at JP Sauer in Germany, they could not export them.
From the article. Apparently certain exceptions can be made:
"Notably, the Swiss government in 2016 decided to permit certain arms transfers to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries fighting the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen. Among other things, Bern allowed Riyadh to receive ammunition for previously delivered air defense systems, noting that the ammunition would be used for “legitimate military self-defense” and to “protect civil infrastructure.”
Maybe they don’t have the same confidence in stated usage this time around. While my sympathies like with Ukraine, I’m opposed to the idea that Switzerland is in any way obligated to do anything on their behalf, especially if it is at odds with the best interests of Switzerland.
They are one of the few remaining countries with the balls to say “No we are going to do it the way WE want to do it and we don’t care what YOU think about it” while at the same time remaining a modern civilized state that isn’t forever trying to **** over people across the border. They exercised amazing restraint when almost every country in the world tried to drag them into WWII.
Granted their geography and banking ideas afford them that level of independence, but it would be nice if some other countries were more like Switzerland.
I’ve traveled all over Europe and although Switzerland is beautiful, there is a distinct difference in the society in Switzerland.
People aren’t as friendly and it’s all about business.
That these same people would decide the Right and Wrong ways to use their products doesn’t surprise me.
I simply wouldn’t do business with them.