Switzerland's parliament rejects $5.8 billion aid package for Ukraine

The Swiss parliament has rejected a $5.88 billion aid package for Ukraine.

The development comes at a time when Switzerland is gearing to host a peace summit for the Ukraine conflict in June. While Ukraine and much of Europe are participating in the summit, Russia and its principal partner China will be absent.

Switzerland is known for its long-held neutrality. It has not fought a war in centuries even though the country has a tainted history from the World War II era when it made millions from arms sales to Nazi Germany and closed doors to Jews fleeing the systemic killing by the Nazis. In the wake of such neutrality, the assistance to Ukraine as it fights a war with Russia was notable.

Swiss package was meant for reconstruction in Ukraine

Unlike other countries like the UK and US that have sent arms and ammunition to Ukraine, the Swiss package was not going to arm the Ukrainians.

The Swiss aid package was intended to help Ukraine with the reconstruction and repair of the country battered with Russian attacks during more than two years of war, according to Reuters.

Throughout the war, Russia has systemically targeted non-combatant and civilian targets. Critical infrastructure such as power stations and the railways have also been hit. Large swathes of neighbourhoods have been ravaged across the country from artillery and aerial bombardment and some cities, such as Mariupol, are unrecognisable from their pre-war selves.

The agency said that the package had been drafted at a time when Switzerland was under pressure from Western allies to do more to help Ukraine. In the wake of such pressure, the package was conceived as an extraordinary contribution towards the nation’s security and “peace in Europe” because of the Russian war on Ukraine.

In the upper house of the Swiss parliament, lawmakers rejected the package in a 28:15 vote. The agency reported that the defeat of the plan was expected for weeks as right-wing lawmakers had opposed it.