The Swiss parliament has approved the decommissioning of 25 Leopard 2 tanks for sale to the German manufacturer. After the National Council, the cantonal representatives in the Council of States also accepted the step on Tuesday. The Swiss government supports this. However, it has yet to decide on the actual resale and its timing. Berlin had assured the neutral country that the tanks would not go to Ukraine.
Proponents of the sellback in parliament argued that the move was in the interests of Swiss foreign and security policy. The German federal government asked Switzerland in February to sell the decommissioned tanks back to the German arms company Rheinmetall. German Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) assured that the tanks would not be passed on to Ukraine. Instead, it is intended to replenish supplies in EU or NATO countries that have been depleted by deliveries to Ukraine.
The Council of States, the small chamber of the Swiss parliament, took the decision with 25 votes in favor, 15 votes in favor and three abstentions. The right-wing SVP unanimously rejected the project. Switzerland has too few tanks and cannot currently purchase new equipment quickly, according to SVP MP Werner Salzmann.
The Leopard 1 buyback was rejected in June
Citing Switzerland’s neutrality, the government in Bern rejected a request in June from Swiss arms company Ruag to sell 96 stored Leopard 1 tanks to Germany so they could be repaired there and delivered to Ukraine.
Source: Krone
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