Switzerland to sell Leopard-2 tanks to Germany to replenish its fleet
Germany has welcomed the decision of neutral Switzerland to allow the sale of some of its German-made Leopard-2 tanks to help rebuild the fleet depleted by the aid to Ukraine.
This was reported by Reuters.
In February, Germany asked Switzerland to sell some of its 96 Leopard-2 tanks in storage to Rheinmetall AG.
In order to comply with Swiss neutrality laws, Berlin assured Bern that the weapons would not be transferred to Kyiv, but would remain in Germany or with a NATO or European Union ally.
"We are very happy and grateful for this decision," Michel Fluegger, Germany's ambassador to Switzerland told Swiss TV. "We need these tanks, they will fill our gaps and of our European partners".
He made the statement after the Swiss parliament on Tuesday approved the decommissioning of 25 Leopard 2 tanks, paving the way for their resale to Germany.
As a reminder, requests by Germany, Denmark, and Spain to allow the shipment of Swiss weapons they had previously purchased to Ukraine were blocked by Bern due to Switzerland's neutrality, which does not allow direct or indirect shipments of weapons to warring parties.
Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 27/09/2023
