Switzerland's lower house of parliament on Thursday voted against a proposal that would have specifically authorised the transfer of Swiss-made arms to Ukraine.

Axar.az reports that the vote in parliament came as Swiss President Alain Berset met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the European Political Community summit in Moldova, where the pair discussed the subject of exports of war material.

The National Council in Bern voted 98 -75 against a parliamentary initiative put forward by a committee.

Jean-Luc Addor, of the populist, right-wing Swiss People's Party the largest in the National Council said in the Council that "accepting this initiative means committing to one of the protagonists, which is also in its very title ("Lex Ukraine"). Therefore violating neutrality."