Swiss stocks drained after Ukraine aid, to sell Leopards to restock
4 Min Read
Switzerland's arsenal is depleting in light of the massive donations it had given to Ukraine, and it is now seeking to sell its own tanks to restock it.
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Ukrainian soldiers repair a Leopard 2 tank in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on June 21, 2023 (AP)
Germany has expressed its gratitude after Switzerland's decision to sell back some of its German-made Leopard II tanks, a move aimed at helping Germany rebuild its depleted tank stocks following aid provided to Ukraine.
The decision comes after Germany's request in February for Switzerland to sell back a portion of its Leopard II tanks to the manufacturer, Rheinmetall AG.
With Switzerland's strict neutrality laws in mind, Germany has assured Bern that the repurchased tanks will not find their way to Kiev but will either remain within Germany or be transferred to a NATO or European Union ally.
"We are very happy and grateful for this decision," said Michel Fluegger, Germany's ambassador to Switzerland, in an interview with Swiss TV. "We need these tanks; they will help fill the gaps in our arsenal and support our European partners."
The Swiss parliament officially approved the decommissioning of 25 Leopard II tanks on Tuesday, paving the way for their resale to Germany.
This development has been met with mixed reactions within Swiss public opinion, with debates surrounding the issue of supplying weapons to Ukraine causing division in the country.
Switzerland's stance on blocking re-exports has also raised concerns among some nations.
Requests from Germany, Denmark, and Spain to allow Swiss-made weaponry they previously purchased to be sent to Ukraine have been rejected by Bern, citing Switzerland's neutrality policy, which prevents weapons from being directly or indirectly provided to combatants in an ongoing war.
Switzerland does not know its next move
German Ambassador Fluegger warned that acquiring Swiss weapons might become more challenging unless Switzerland adjusts its legislation on war materials.
"We have procured a significant amount of weaponry, systems, components, and ammunition from Switzerland, along with our NATO partners, and now we wish to offer some of these systems to Ukraine," he said.
The final step in this process involves formal support from the Swiss cabinet for the export of Leopard II tanks to Germany. However, this is widely expected to be a formality, as Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd previously stated that supplying the tanks to Germany aligns with Swiss neutrality laws and serves the interests of the country.
"In this manner, we can also contribute to security in Europe and, therefore, directly enhance the security of our nation," Minister Amherd emphasized in an interview with Swiss broadcaster SRF.
In June, Switzerland had rejected a German request to sell 96 Leopard tanks to Ukraine due to depleting stocks.
Switzerland was estimated to hold 230 Leopard 2 tanks in its arsenal, of which only 134 are decommissioned with the rest being mothballed but not decommissioned, according to the German news agency DPA.
Swiss law authorizes the selling of decommissioned tanks only with any potential sale deal being conditioned by the parliament's approval.
Back in February, the Swiss Senate’s security policy committee rejected a bill requesting to decommission 30 tanks to sell to Germany.
Back in March, Swiss Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection, and Sport spokesperson Lorenz Frischknecht revealed that Germany requested to buy back a number of Leopard 2 tanks from Switzerland.
"Switzerland indeed received an application from Germany for the purchase of Leopard 2 tanks," Frischknecht said in a speech.
Equivocally, Arne Collatz, a spokeswoman for the German Defense Ministry, confirmed that Germany had intentions of buying Leopard 2 combat tanks from Switzerland to accommodate the deficit in Leopard tanks in the arsenal of the German army following the massive outflux of lethal aid from Berlin to Kiev; however, the number of Leopard 2 tanks intended to be purchased is still unknown.
Seeming to anticipate any provocative misinterpretation of the purchases, the spokesperson then emphasized that these tanks would not be sent to Ukraine, but were rather intended for the German arsenal.
