Follow us on social

Diplomacy Watch: Switzerland weighs break with policy of neutrality

Diplomacy Watch: Switzerland weighs break with policy of neutrality

A group of lawmakers in Bern wants to allow states to re-export Swiss weapons to support the fight in Ukraine.

Europe

A group of Swiss lawmakers has moved forward a proposal to allow countries to give Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine, in a move that would soften Switzerland’s centuries-old policy of neutrality toward foreign conflicts.

“The majority of the committee believes Switzerland must offer its contribution to European security, which requires more substantial aid to Ukraine,” the Swiss parliamentary security committee said in a statement.

The decision would represent a significant break from the policy of Swiss neutrality, though its supporters insist that the measure would not violate their law of neutrality since Bern would not be sending weapons directly.

Switzerland’s neutrality has held strong since at least 1815, when Bern helped other European powers defeat Napoleon Bonaparte for the second and final time. Since then, the country has managed to avoid direct participation in any foreign conflict. Even during World War II, Bern studiously avoided taking sides in order to avoid being drawn into the war.

But the war in Ukraine has tested this policy. In May of last year, Swiss authorities agreed under pressure from the West to freeze the assets of several hundred sanctioned Russians, including President Vladimir Putin. Bern also closed its airspace to Russian planes.

Despite these shifts, allowing Swiss weapons to see the battlefield has so far been a red line. Last year, Switzerland denied several requests from Germany and Denmark to re-export Swiss-made arms to Ukraine. The country is currently considering a similar request from Spain, but leaders in Bern have signaled that Madrid’s petition is unlikely to be approved.

If passed, the proposal would create an exception whereby Swiss weapons could be re-exported to an active war zone as long as they are used to fight “a violation of the international ban on the use of force.”

In other diplomatic news related to the war in Ukraine:

— Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited South Africa Monday as the two countries prepare for joint military exercises, according to the Associated Press. The trip gave Moscow a chance to reinvigorate ties with South Africa, a key Russian partner in “a continent that is divided over the invasion of [Ukraine] and related Western isolation attempts,” argued Eleonora Tafuro, a senior research fellow at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. “[Russian] narratives [about] Western double standards & [patronizing] attitudes resonate well in Africa and speak to the history of the USSR helping anti-colonial movements,” Tafuro tweeted. “They are a key part of Moscow's soft power strategy on the continent today.”

— Estonia and Latvia announced Monday that they will remove Russia’s ambassadors in their countries after Moscow asked Estonia’s ambassador to leave over allegations of “Russophobia,” according to Politico. The pair will become the second and third Baltic countries to downgrade ties with Russia following Lithuania’s decision to expel its Russian ambassador in April of last year.

— Western officials want Ukraine to shift its focus away from Bakhmut in order to prepare for an offensive in the south, according to CNN. On Wednesday, shortly after CNN’s report came out, Ukraine conceded that it had lost Soledar, a key town outside of Bakhmut.

— In a major reversal, the U.S. and Germany agreed to send tanks to Ukraine despite concerns about how the move would be received in Moscow, according to the Associated Press. Ukrainian officials have now set their sights on modern Western fighter jets to replace or at least strengthen Kyiv’s Soviet-era fleet.

— Turkey’s foreign minister said it would be “meaningless” to restart NATO accession talks with Sweden and Finland after a protest in Stockholm in which a far-right activist burned a Quran, according to Reuters. Ankara’s tough talk may be an effort to build support for embattled President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before elections in May.

U.S. State Department news:

In a Wednesday press conference, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington is committed to improving ties with African countries that are skeptical of American policies, including those who have been historically tied to Russia. “The United States is ready, willing, and able to be a partner of first resort to the countries across Africa,” Price said. “We are not looking to use Africa as a new geopolitical stomping ground or playground. We’re not looking for relationships that are extractive, that export chaos, that export instability, that advantage only American private companies, as you’ve seen an approach taken by countries who have a different model.”


Europe
Nuclear missile
Top image credit: Zack Frank

Put this nuclear missile on the back of a truck — but we still don't need it

Military Industrial Complex

Last week, analysts from three think tanks penned a joint op-ed for Breaking Defense to make the case for mobilizing the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, a pivot from one exceedingly costly approach to nuclear modernization to another.

After Sentinel faced a 37 percent cost overrun in early 2024, the Pentagon was forced to inform Congress of the cost spike, assess the root causes, and either cancel the program or certify it to move forward under a restructured approach. The Pentagon chose to certify it, but not before noting that the restructured program would actually come in 81 percent over budget.

keep readingShow less
Israel Gaza deal
Top photo credit: United States and Israel flags are projected on the walls of the Old city of Jerusalem in celebration after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer

Will this deal work? Netanyahu has gamed everything his way so far.

Middle East

Two years into the Gaza conflict and perhaps on the cusp of a successful phased ceasefire, what can we say?

On the basis of media reporting about Yahya Sinwar’s strategic rationale for attacking Israel on October 7, 2023, it seems that he believed Israel was on the brink of civil war and that the impact of a large-scale assault would severely erode its political stability. He believed that Hamas’s erstwhile allies, especially Hizballah and Iran, would open offensives against Israel, which, in combination with Hamas’s invasion, would stretch the nation’s military capabilities to the breaking point.

keep readingShow less
israel gaza ceasefire
Top photo credit: A man, wearing shirt in the colours of the U.S. flag, and a woman, wearing an Israeli flag across her shoulders, celebrate after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas agreed on the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire, at the "Hostages square", in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Trump Gaza Deal will work: If he keeps pressure on Israel

Middle East

Reports today indicate that both the Israelis and Hamas have agreed on a deal that would call for an immediate cessation of fighting and return of hostages and prisoners on both sides in a first phase.

Both parties are expected to sign the agreement and the Israeli cabinet will vote to approve it afterwards. The deal would supposedly see a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the ground in order for the hostage-prisoner swaps to proceed, but the thornier issues of Hamas disarmament, governance, full Israeli withdrawal and a complete end to the war have been left to hammer out in later phases.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.