Germany’s request to buy 25 mothballed Swiss Leopard 2 tanks, intended to make up for stocks it’s sending to Ukraine, won the support of Switzerland’s government.
(Bloomberg) — Germany’s request to buy 25 mothballed Swiss Leopard 2 tanks, intended to make up for stocks it’s sending to Ukraine, won the support of Switzerland’s government.
It voted in favor of decommissioning the tanks and selling them back to their maker Rheinmetall AG, as requested by Germany, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.
It’s the first time the Swiss government has actively backed European military support for Ukraine. In line with its longstanding neutrality, Switzerland has been providing humanitarian aid but prohibits other countries from sending Swiss-made arms and ammunitions to the conflict, drawing criticism from allies.
Switzerland’s parliament still needs to agree to the sale, which was originally proposed by the security policy committee in the lower house. That process won’t be completed before the fall and the earliest possible date for the tanks to be shipped would be next year.
Germany has promised not to send the Swiss tanks to the battleground, to protect its neighbor’s neutrality.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.