Switzerland bars exports to Polish firm after ammunition ends up in Ukraine

The Swiss government said on Friday it is barring exports to a Polish military hardware supplier after concluding that some 645,000 rounds of Swiss-made small-caliber ammunition ended up in Ukraine in violation of Swiss law.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said exports to the Polish company will be barred because the risk of diversion to Ukraine is assessed as being too high.

Switzerland has long touted its neutrality in world affairs, and Swiss law bans exports of Swiss-owned or Swiss-made military hardware to countries in conflict.

However the Swiss government has backed European Union economic sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

 

The secretariat opened an investigation after a report by US-based news outlet Defence One last November indicated a Ukrainian company had taken receipt of 645,000 rifle cartridges of armour-piercing rounds made by SwissP Defense and delivered by a Polish importer, UMO.

The investigation showed that the Swiss manufacturer and the Polish company had signed a reseller agreement stating that the Polish company was entitled to resell the ammunition only in Poland, the secretariat, known as SECO, said in an email to The Associated Press.

The probe concluded that the Polish company did not honour the contractual commitments it made to the Swiss manufacturer and the ammunition ended up in Ukraine.

SwissP Defence said in an email we always comply with the regulations in Switzerland, and declined to disclose information about its customer relationships.

UMO did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Switzerland has been at pains to maintain its reputation for neutrality in the wake of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine. Last year, Switzerland insisted German-made tanks it had owned but decommissioned could not be sent to Ukraine.

However, Switzerland has been edging closer to NATO: This week, the Swiss executive branch approved Swiss participation in crisis-management exercise by the alliance next spring.