Survey shows broad political support for relaxation of war materiel re-export rules

A Ukrainian soldier inspects ammunition left by the Russian troops in the recently retaken area close to Izium, Ukraine, Sept. 21, 2022. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Most Swiss support relaxing the rules on the export of war materiel. A survey conducted by the Sotomo Institute found that 55% of Swiss think third countries should be allowed to supply Ukraine with weapons made in Switzerland.

The survey, commissioned by the NZZ am Sonntag, found that the view is shared by clear majorities across party lines, with the exception of the conservative right Swiss People’s Party. The strongest support came from Green Liberals, with 76% of respondents expressing a positive view. The majority of People’s Party voters (74%) were clearly against the idea of allowing the transfer of Swiss-made weapons by third countries to Ukraine.

The federal government decided in June 2022 that re-exports of war material should be refused if the country of destination is involved in an international armed conflict. This is the case for the warring nations of Ukraine and Russia.

The security policy committee of the Senate wants an exemption for Ukraine, which Russia invaded last year and bombs daily. Its sister committee in the House of Representatives, on the other hand, wants to limit the validity of non-re-export declarations for certain countries that buy Swiss war material to five years. This would apply, for example, to Germany, France, Italy or the USA. The topic is being hotly debated in Switzerland, a country that prides itself in in its tradition of neutrality.