Switzerland has vetoed the re-export of Swiss-made ammunition used in Gepard anti-aircraft systems that Germany is sending to Ukraine, the government said.
The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs confirmed it had blocked Germany from sending munitions for the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine, Reuters reports.
The agency said it had received two requests from Germany to transfer to Ukraine ammunition it had previously received from Switzerland.
SECO said:
Both inquiries by Germany whether the ammunition received from Switzerland may be transferred to Ukraine were answered in the negative, with reference to Swiss neutrality and the mandatory rejection criteria of Swiss war material legislation.
According to broadcaster SRF, it was unclear which ammunition Germany was now sending to Ukraine along with the Gepards, following the Swiss veto.
Although Switzerland has adopted EU sanctions designed to punish Russia’s actions in Ukraine, it has said its neutrality does not permit providing arms for use in conflict zones. Last month, it rejected Poland’s request for arms to help Ukraine.
It would be acceptable for Ukrainian forces to use Western weapons to attack military targets on Russian soil, a UK defense minister has said.
James Heappey said strikes on supply lines were a "legitimate" part of war.
The UK announced it will give Ukraine a few anti-aircraft vehicles.
Russia's defense ministry has accused the UK of "provoking" Ukraine into attacking Russian territory, while foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Nato is engaging in a proxy war.
Mr Lavrov also said weapons delivered by the West to Ukraine would be fair targets.
Western countries have donated hundreds of millions of pounds of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion back in February, and Nato and European Union officials are meeting in Germany to discuss further military assistance.
It comes as Russia has focused its forces on the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, with the UK's Ministry of Defense reporting the city of Kreminna, in Luhansk, has fallen.
Russia has accused Ukraine of attacking targets within its territory, including an oil depot in Belgorod, but Ukrainian forces have not confirmed any strikes.
Asked about this on BBC Radio 4's Today program, Mr Heappey said: The question is, is it acceptable for our weapons to be used against legitimate Russian military targets by the Ukrainians?
"Firstly, it's Ukrainians that take the targeting decision, not the people who manufacture or export the kit in the first place. And secondly, it is entirely legitimate to go after targets in the depth of your opponents to disrupt their logistics and supply lines."
The armed forces minister added that it was also a "perfectly legitimate" part of war for Russian forces to be striking targets in western Ukraine to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines as long as they avoided targeting civilians - "which unfortunately they have not taken much regard for so far".
Ukraine is fighting an existential war with Russia so it is unsurprising Ukrainian force's should target supply lines over the Russian border.
It is equally unsurprising Western powers are relaxed that some of their weaponry are used in such strikes.
What is interesting about James Heappey's remarks is their frankness.
In other conflicts, such as in Yemen, British ministers tend to be coy about the use of British weapons.
On one level, the defense minister is just revealing his usual candour. He often speaks more as a former soldier than a politician.
But on another level, his remarks reflect Nato's deepening involvement in this conflict.
The weapons provided by western powers are getting bigger and more powerful.
It is one thing to give Ukraine short-range anti-tank bazookas. It is another to provide them with drones and artillery that can cross borders.
The line between defending Ukraine and attacking Russia is increasingly blurred.
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