Swiss President Viola Amherd said on Monday that she favors reviewing the ban that currently prevents the re-export of Swiss weapons from another country to Ukraine because the embargo harms Switzerland's industry and security, SWI reported.

“Personally, I think we need to make a step forward for our industry. It becomes difficult because countries like the Netherlands have decided not to buy in Switzerland as it’s not free to re-export, which I understand,” Amherd explained, who is also defence minister, at a press event in Bern in response to a question about the policy.

She pointed out that the current situation poses problems for the defense industry, which in turn poses a problem for national security in general. At the same time, she added that Switzerland, which acts as a mediator in global conflicts, would never supply weapons directly to a country at war.

Switzerland, despite its long-standing neutrality, is a major arms supplier, the world's 14th-largest in 2022, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The country's arms sales have already fallen in 2023, and critics blame the country's neutral stance.

More broadly, Amherd said Switzerland needs to invest more in security across Europe and said it plans to strengthen ties with partners, including NATO.

“In the last 30 years, Switzerland has not invested enough in defence and we need to catch up,” she said.