Switzerland suspends German arms supply to Ukraine
Armored German MortarPhoto: Wikimedia Commons
The news comes as German Chancellor Olaf Scholes faces growing criticism of his government’s failure to provide Ukraine with heavy weapons to repel Russian attacks, despite other Western allies stepping up supplies.
The newspaper reports that the mortar, made by the German arms manufacturer Rhinemeat, uses ammunition made in Switzerland.
Switzerland restricts the re-export of this type of munitions to conflict areas.
A spokesman for the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said it had received two requests from Germany to transfer ammunition from Ukraine to Ukraine.
“Both German requests for Swiss neutrality and the mandatory criteria for rejecting war material law were met with a negative response,” the spokesman said.
Switzerland has accepted EU sanctions against Russia, but has insisted that its neutrality does not allow it to supply weapons in conflict zones.
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