Swiss arms law eases exports but excludes Ukraine

Switzerland’s proposed new arms export rules would make it easier to sell weapons abroad, but Ukraine would not benefit, SRF reports. Voters will decide on the law on November 29, 2026.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 put pressure on Swiss export rules, which Parliament had previously tightened. Several European countries sought permission to transfer Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine. Germany wanted to send ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, Denmark sought to transfer 22 Piranha wheeled armoured vehicles made by Mowag, and Spain also made a request. The Federal Council and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs rejected the requests.

The government cited the War Materiel Act and Swiss neutrality law. The act prohibits deliveries to a country at war, while neutrality rules require Switzerland to treat both sides equally in arms exports. The countries that bought the materiel had agreed not to re-export it without Swiss approval, giving the government grounds to block transfers to Ukraine. European countries began referring to the policy as “No China, no Swiss”.

A compromise proposal emerged in 2024. The National Council’s Security Policy Committee proposed limiting non-re-export declarations for partner countries to five years, including retroactively. After that period, a buyer could decide on a transfer if the final recipient said it was exercising its right to self-defence under the UN Charter. Ukraine could have benefited from the change.

But the political alliance behind the proposal broke apart. The Social Democratic Party wanted a limited opening for Ukraine, while the Centre and the FDP wanted to ease arms exports more broadly. In 2025, the Centre and the FDP reached an agreement with the Swiss People’s Party, which made its support conditional on continued restrictions on deliveries to Ukraine. The Centre questioned the Social Democrats’ reliability on security issues, while the Social Democrats accused the new majority of putting the arms industry’s interests first. A left-wing alliance launched a referendum, warning that Swiss weapons could reach crisis and war zones.

Under the new law, indirect deliveries to Ukraine would remain excluded. If the federal government identifies a high risk that an export, for example to Germany, could be passed on to Ukraine, it would require a non-re-export declaration or reject the application. However, the Federal Council says that if Switzerland waives such a declaration on the basis of assurances from Germany, a later transfer could in practice take place without Switzerland having a way to stop it.