The parliamentary committee of Switzerland has voted to allocate 5 billion Swiss francs ($5.5 billion) to assist Ukraine as part of a broader package of measures aimed at enhancing the defense capabilities of neutral Bern.
This was reported by Reuters.
Supported by lawmakers from left and right-centrist parties, the upper house parliament’s security committee approved the package, which includes an additional 10.1 billion francs for the military, alongside the sum for Ukraine.
The plan, which still needs to overcome several parliamentary hurdles before becoming law, was passed by a vote of 8 to 5, with right-wing parties opposing the agreement.
In a statement, the parliament cited the multi-billion dollar package as an extraordinary contribution to ensuring Switzerland’s security and “peace in Europe” in light of the war Russia is waging against Ukraine.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Switzerland has provided comprehensive support to Ukraine, except for arms supplies and military assistance. The reason for this position lies in Switzerland’s centuries-old policy of neutrality, declared by Bern in 1815. According to this policy, Bern does not supply weapons to other countries, does not participate in military conflicts, and does not sanction the re-export of its arms to third parties.
It is worth noting that last year, Switzerland took a step towards supplying weapons to Ukraine, but amendments to the law on military equipment were blocked in the lower house of parliament. Meanwhile, Switzerland has allocated over $5 billion for Ukraine’s recovery until 2035.
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