Swiss government supports selling tanks back to Germany
The Swiss government will ask parliament for permission to re-sell 25 battle tanks back to their German manufacturer.
The announcement on Wednesday marks another step in the debate about Swiss armaments that surfaced after Russia invaded Ukraine.
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Several countries have asked Switzerland to allow them to send Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine – a request that has been firmly denied.
But this does not prevent Switzerland from selling war materiel to countries that have sent their own stocks to Ukraine.
A House of Representatives security committee had earlier advised that Switzerland has no need for 25 Type 87 Leopard 2 A4 WE tanks held in storage.
The Swiss army currently operates 134 of these tanks and has a reserve of 96 that have not been maintained. The defence ministry says it needs 71 of these reserve tanks, leaving 25 spare.
In February, the German authorities asked if Switzerland would sell any unwanted tanks back to German manufacturer Rheinmetall.
German ministers promised that these tanks would only be used by its own forces, or those of EU or NATO allies, and never be sent to Ukraine.
Should Switzerland’s parliament agree that 25 tanks are not needed, the government says it will consider issuing export licenses to allow for their sale.
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