Switzerland has banned the export of ammunition to a Polish company after finding that it was sent to Ukraine, according to the Associated Press.
The Swiss government concluded that around 645,000 Swiss-made small-caliber rounds had ended up in Ukraine, violating Swiss law.
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs launched an investigation after the US news outlet Defense One reported last November that Ukraine had received 645,000 rifle rounds with armor-piercing projectiles produced by SwissP Defense from the Polish company UMO.
Under the agreement, the Polish company was only allowed to resell the ammunition within Poland. However, the investigation found that the Polish company "failed to meet its contractual obligations with the Swiss manufacturer, and the ammunition ended up in Ukraine."
Switzerland has announced that the Polish company's export license will be canceled as "the risk of diversion to Ukraine is deemed too high."
Swiss law prohibits the export of military equipment, whether Swiss-owned or Swiss-made, to countries involved in war.
Earlier, Swiss President Viola Amherd advocated for lifting the ban on re-exporting Swiss-made weapons to countries at war, including Ukraine. She stated that such an embargo harms her country's industry and security. Amherd emphasized that some countries, such as the Netherlands, have refused to buy weapons from Switzerland because they cannot be freely re-exported.
Related:
- Switzerland may reconsider ban on arms re-export to Ukraine
- Switzerland strengthens Ukraine’s demining efforts with GCS-200 vehicles
- Switzerland to provide Ukraine with about $ 1.7 bn for reconstruction projects over four years
