By Denis Balibouse
BERN (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday urged Switzerland to allow the re-export of weapons to Ukraine, saying the move would be vital in combating the Russian invasion.
“I know there is a discussion in Switzerland about the exportation of war material to protect and defend Ukraine. That would be vital,” Zelenskiy said in a video address to both houses of the Swiss parliament. “We need weapons so we can restore peace in Ukraine.”
Switzerland has a long-standing policy of barring any country that buys Swiss arms from re-exporting them to the parties in a conflict. The country also imposed a specific Swiss embargo on munitions going to either Russia or Ukraine in November last year.
The issue has sparked extensive debate in Switzerland, which has had to balance its foreign policy tradition of neutrality while considering the concerns of its European neighbours and its domestic weapons industry.
Zelenskiy, wearing a plain black T-shirt with the word “Ukraine” printed across his chest, thanked Switzerland for adopting EU sanctions and called on the country to host a global peace summit.
“It is very important to show solidarity because these sanctions will help us to end aggression,” he said. “We have to strengthen the sanctions.”
“I would like to invite you to hold a global peace summit. You can take a leading role there and you can bring in your national expertise. You can bring your know-how and organise such a peace summit.”
The address triggered tensions in the Swiss parliament, with the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) snubbing the speech and saying it was in violation of the country’s neutrality.
(Reporting by Denis Balibouse in Bern, Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Emma Farge in Geneva, and John Revill in Zurich; Editing by Conor Humphries)
