Zelensky Will Talk Weapons With Blinken, Austin as Swiss Block Ammo Supply

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss weaponry with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after Switzerland blocked the export of its ammunition.

Zelensky said during a Saturday press conference that he would meet with Blinken and Austin in Kyiv on Sunday.

According to Reuters, Zelensky intends to discuss the type of weaponry that can be supplied to Ukraine as he further seeks the equipment needed to continue its fight against Russia.

"We will talk about the weapons we need and about the time framework for deliveries," Zelensky said, per the news agency.

"I would like to reiterate that during the last week, I believe that during the last week the signals, the messages, the steps, the timings, the quantities, I am talking about weapons from the United States, all this has improved."

Ukraine has requested lethal aid from the U.S. and its allies since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade the country in late February.

While the U.S. and many European nations have expressed willingness to supply Ukraine with weapons, Germany's planned arms deliveries have reportedly been held up by neutral Switzerland.

The country blocked the re-export of Swiss-made ammunition that is used in Marder infantry fighting vehicles, according to Swiss outlet SonntagsZeitung. While the Marder is made by German company Rheinmetall, it uses ammunition made in Switzerland.

But a spokesperson for the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) told the newspaper it had rejected two inquiries from Germany.

The spokesperson said: "Both of Germany's requests were answered in the negative with reference to Swiss neutrality and the mandatory rejection criteria of the war material legislation."

Switzerland follows the law of neutrality which was codified in The Hague Conventions of 1907, which means it must refrain from engaging in war as well as ensuring equal treatment for belligerent states in respect of the exportation of war material.

While Switzerland maintains neutrality, it has followed the European Union's sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Switzerland's decision to block the move will prove frustrating for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who has been criticized for his failure to supply weapons to Ukraine and for the country's reliance on Russian gas.

Newsweek has contacted the White House and the SSSEA for comment.

While Ukraine is attempting to secure further lethal aid, the country has expressed concern about those countries that are continuing to buy Russian gas and oil.

Zelensky's top economic adviser Oleg Ustenko called the failure of an immediate embargo on Russian imports by western nations "unacceptable" in an interview with the Observer.

He said: "If Russians are committing war crimes, even genocide, whoever is supplying Russia with this bloody money is making the same war crime."

He later vowed that trading with Russia would face legal action from Ukraine in the future.