Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/ZURICH: Germany has asked Switzerland to sell some of its mothballed Leopard 2 tanks, the Swiss government said on Friday, in the deal that could allow Germany and other nations to raise military aid to Ukraine.
The German government wants Switzerland to sell some of the tanks back to manufacturer Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE), allowing the company to backfill gaps in the European Union (EU) armaments and NATO members.
Germany, Poland, Finland, Portugal, and Sweden are among the countries sending Leopard tanks to help Ukraine defend itself against a Russian attack, creating gaps in their own arsenals.
Boris Pistorius, German Defence Minister, and Economics Minister Robert Habeck informed Switzerland Defence Minister Viola Amherd about a project in a letter dated Feb. 23, and the defense ministry told Reuters on Friday.
The German politicians asked their Switzerland counterparts to agree to the sale, with assurances that the Swiss tanks wouldn’t be transferred to Ukraine itself.
Swiss Defence Ministry (VBS) spokesman said that “there would be no onward transfer of battle tanks to Ukraine,”
Under its neutrality laws and a separate weapons embargo, Switzerland is prohibited from sending arms directly to Ukraine.
