A majority of Swiss now prefer to ‘get closer’ NATO in one of the clearest signs yet of the seismic impact the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had on Europe.
Switzerland has, in fact, been neutral for more than 500 years, but a new poll shows that citizens increasingly believe this is not the best way to protect their country.
A record number of Swiss are now saying the government should increase defense spending, maintain a fully equipped military and build closer relations with NATO.
It comes after Sweden and Finland broke their own decades-long neutrality agreements to join NATO, saying: PutinThe war in the east had prompted them to do so.
A majority of Swiss are now in favor of forging closer ties with NATO as support for the country’s 500-year-old neutrality falls for the first time in two decades
Overall, support for neutrality in Switzerland remains strong – 89 percent say they are in favor of it – but that figure has fallen for the first time in two decades.
In January, before Russia invaded Ukraine, 96 percent of Swiss were in favor of neutrality — meaning support fell by eight percent in just six months.
An unprecedented 52 percent are now in favor of their country getting ‘closer to NATO’, although only 27 percent actually want to join.
The new study was conducted by the Swiss Military Academy and the Center for Security Studies, which surveyed 1,000 people between May and June.
The results were compared with a similar study published in January.
Surveys also found that 80 percent of Swiss now prefer their country to have an army, while a record 74 percent say it should be ‘fully equipped’
Switzerland has one of Europe’s largest reserve forces and is still in national service, but maintains only a small standing army supported by aging tanks, armored vehicles and aircraft.
Nineteen percent of Swiss now want their governments to spend more money improving that power, up from just seven percent at the beginning of this year.
Finland and Sweden have already agreed to abandon decades-old neutrality policies and join NATO, bringing their state-of-the-art armies
The country has already agreed to purchase 36 new Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jets, but that could be disputed by a vote.
Some 58 percent of Swiss also believe that armed conflict in Europe will become more frequent after the Russian invasion, with one in three saying they are more anxious about the war in Ukraine.
Switzerland has been officially neutral since the singing of the Treaty of Paris 1815, following the final defeat and abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte.
However, the Swiss Confederation had been virtually neutral since 1525 when it pledged never to wage an offensive war again after its defeat by the French at the Battle of Marignano ten years earlier.
It means the Swiss can lay claim to having one of the longest-standing neutrality pacts in the world that it maintained during both world wars – although it sometimes shot down planes from both sides entering the skies.
Sweden and Finland are currently in the process of joining NATO, having officially applied for membership in May.
Their accession to the alliance is virtually guaranteed after Turkey withdrew its opposition after a series of concessions.
Russia suffers heavy losses in Ukraine, with another weapons depot taken last night by US-supplied HIMARS missiles in Nova Kakhova
However, all 30 current allies must ratify the move before it can be passed — a process that could take a long time as the motion removes parliamentary hurdles.
Latvia is today the last country to ratify membership, meaning 13 members have ratified or are in the process of ratifying membership.
That leaves 17 countries – including the US, Italy, Spain and Belgium – to officially put pen to paper.
Once the two countries join, they will massively bolster NATO’s northern flank, with massive numbers of troops and artillery, advanced submarines and near-legendary espionage capabilities.
Finland has a relatively small army of 20,000 men, but has a reserve of almost 1 million that can be called up to fight.
It also has Europe’s largest collection of artillery — including dozens of the same missile systems currently wreaking havoc on Russia in Ukraine — and has 64 latest-generation F-35 stealth fighters on order.
Sweden, meanwhile, has formidable coastal defenses in the form of 150 fast attack ships and five world-class submarines.
In fact, Stockholm’s submarines are so quiet that they managed to “sink” one of America’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers during a training exercise in the late 2000s, sparking both concern and admiration at the Pentagon.