The Security Committee of the upper house of the Swiss parliament voted late on Thursday night, April 25, to allocate $5.5 billion in aid to Ukraine as part of a package to improve Switzerland's defense capabilities. This was reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
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With the support of MPs from the center-left and center-right parties, a committee of the House of Representatives approved a package that provides 10.1 billion francs in additional funds for the Swiss army, including a sum for Ukraine.
The package was approved by 8 votes to 5, with right-wing parties opposing the deal.
A parliamentary statement said the multibillion-dollar aid package was intended as an extraordinary contribution to Switzerland's security and "peace in Europe" because of Russia's war against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian part of the financial package is reportedly intended to support the restoration of Ukraine's infrastructure.
A committee of the Swiss parliament voted in favor of the plan less than two months before the country's peace conference for Ukraine.
The Swiss government announcedthat it will hold a two-day high-level conference in June aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine.
In January, Switzerland said it would host a peace summit at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and has since held talks with the EU, G7 members, and countries such as China and India to gauge their interest in participating.
"There is now sufficient international support to hold a high-level conference to start the peace process," the country's federal council said.
The conference, as announced, will be held on June 15-16 at the Burgenstock resort in the canton of Nidwalden near the city of Lucerne. It will be aimed at creating a framework conducive to a comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine, as well as "a concrete roadmap for Russia's participation in the peace process.
Russian officials have said they will not participate in the talks in Switzerland. At the same time, Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, said that the Swiss initiative without Moscow's participation is meaningless.