Consideration of weapons re-export to Ukraine may take 2-3 years – Swiss National Council President
President of the National Council of Switzerland Maja Riniker ruled out the possibility of transferring Swiss weapons to Ukraine in the coming months, since consideration of such decisions in Switzerland "could take years."
"Regarding the weapons and their re-exportation. Yes, this topic came up during all my meetings in Kyiv. It's always important to explain what Switzerland’s neutrality means. It does not mean indifference. We always condemn Russian military aggression against Ukraine," she said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
Riniker reminded that two topics regarding weapons are currently being discussed in the Swiss parliament. The first concerns the re-export of weapons.
"This bill has been passed in one chamber. But to have this bill passed further, we have to get the second chamber. After that, there is going to be a referendum, and the population of the country will definitely vote on it. If you ask me whether we can be sure that we will support you with weapons within the next months, I really have to say no. Let's be honest. That's not a realistic way because the processes in Switzerland take much longer," she said.
The second law that is currently being discussed concerns the exemption for arms exports.
"But again, the final decision on changing the law will be taken by the population," the president said.
Answering a question about the approximate time frame, Riniker said "the processes in Switzerland take longer, and this takes years."
"If we are going to have a referendum, we're not talking about months, it's two or three years," she added.
Riniker also emphasized, Switzerland provides support to Ukraine in other ways, despite the fact that it does not supply weapons. In particular, Switzerland's support is not only in humanitarian aid, Riniker noted. She recalled large-scale Swiss projects in various fields, assistance in reforms, reconstruction, energy and demining projects, which are already making a huge contribution to Ukraine.
In addition, the President of the National Council of the Swiss Federal Assembly recalled the first Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2022 in Lugano, as well as the fact that Switzerland and Ukraine jointly hosted the Conference on Mine Action in Lausanne in 2024.
"And, as you probably remember, last year, we organized a Summit on Peace in Ukraine at the Bürgenstock. Actually, we were the first country that was able to host such a conference at a high level regarding the peace efforts," Riniker said.