Russia and Ukraine flashpoint

[Ryuu96]

SecondWar said:

Ryuu96 said:

European countries are increasingly avoiding or halting arms purchases from Switzerland, chafing at restrictions linked to the country’s neutrality. A case involving Germany is stirring controversy in Switzerland.

However, Germany has now decided to exclude Swiss companies from certain military procurement contracts. As the French-language newspaper Le Temps first reported, a letter to that effect was received by the Federal Office for Defence Procurement, armasuisse. This has raised alarm among defence companies, with politicians from all parties expressing their anger at the German decision, which they claim does not respect the country’s neutrality and democratic process.

European Nations Snub Swiss-Made Weapons Over Ukraine Restrictions - SWI

"HOW DARE YOU NOT BUY OUR EQUIPMENT WE DON'T ALLOW YOU TO USE!"

I hope this is true, if you want to be neutral then fine, but you can't be neutral and then cry when nobody wants to buy your equipment anymore because it makes precisely zero fucking sense for any country to buy military equipment from a country which then blocks them from even using said military equipment, then what the fuck is the military equipment for?!

It'd be like buying a PC but the manufacturer doesn't let you turn it on and then the manufacturer throwing a tantrum when you say that you're no longer buying from them. Well no shit, you don't even allow me to use what I purchased. What happens if one of these countries is invaded? Switzerland screams "DON'T USE OUR EQUIPMENT WE SOLD TO YOU! WE'RE NEUTRAL!"

So it's just rotting there? Makes sense, what a wise investment /s.

I don’t think that’s quite accurately. My understanding is the usage is restricted in the Switzerland can veto the purchaser transferring/selling the equipment on ie sending it to Ukraine.

Switzerland always vetoes the transfer to an active warzone. If Germany was attacked it couldn’t stop Germany using the previously acquired equipment for its defence but presumably wouldn’t sell it more at that time. 

Personally, I would not take that risk, I don't see much difference in equipment already being sold to another country (lets say Germany), meaning that said country now owns the equipment as they purchased it, so they should be allowed to decide on how it's used but Switzerland still blocks them from doing so.

If I'm a country that has spent billions on Swiss equipment but they're still telling me that I don't own it and don't get to decide how it's used then I would question the security implications if my own country was at war, what the Swiss reaction would be to me using their weapons. I struggle to see how it would be okay in Switzerland's mind for a country to use Swiss equipment against another country directly but not for a country who owns Swiss equipment to send it to another country to use it on them, Swiss hands are clean even more-so in the latter scenario.

Lets make it a more cleaner comparison though, what if Poland was attacked, would Switzerland block Germany from being able to send military equipment to Poland or take it there themselves? What if a non-NATO ally was attacked? We would not be able to back them up with any type of Swiss equipment and it's unlikely Germany is ever attacked directly, Lol. So they have military equipment sitting rotting.

Personally, I feel like Switzerland wants to have their cake and eat it too, in the sense that they want to hide behind being a "neutral" country but they also want to sell weapons because it brings them $$$. I don't think anyone should trust them anymore with buying military equipment from them, there is too much uncertainty around its usage now and I also think Switzerland just wants to maintain friendly relations with Russia for the $$$ not because they're afraid of them in any way.

Last edited by Ryuu96 - on 28 September 2024