Swiss government plans to allocate $3 billion for armaments in 2025

The National Council (lower house of parliament) of Switzerland has approved an increase in investment in the country's defense in 2025 by 530 million francs ($598 million). This was reported by the newspaper Blick on December 3.

According to the newspaper, the National Council's goal is to make spending on the army reach 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030. The Grand Chamber made the corresponding increases in the financial plan for 2026-2028.

Swiss People's Party executive committee member Roman Bürgi said investment in the army had been neglected for decades.

"Switzerland must become fit for defense again," Bürgi said.

The newspaper adds that at the same time as increasing spending on the army, the government plans to cut funding for federal personnel by 70 million francs ($79 million). By cutting personnel, material and operating costs, as well as consulting fees, the National Council wants to ease the budget by a total of 125 million francs ($141 million).

Switzerland is not a member of the European Union (EU) or NATO, but has repeatedly voiced its condemnation of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and has already provided Kiev with some $2.3 billion in financial aid and announced $1.7 billion for the country's reconstruction.

Earlier, on November 30, Mauro Poggia, a senator from the largest party in the Swiss parliament, the Democratic Union of Center, said that moving troops or weapons from European countries through Switzerland would be a gross violation of the country's neutrality. In addition, he shared that it does not necessarily follow from the amendments to the Swiss arms export law that the same principle is violated, but called the relaxation of these norms questionable.

Before that, on November 23, the Democratic Union of the Center opposed the new aid to Ukraine. Representatives of the bloc called such expenditures a waste and also spoke in favor of toughening the conditions for granting refugee status to Ukrainians.