Like Germany, the Czech Republic has asked Switzerland for old Leopard 2 tanks that are now stored in the Alpine country, Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd said on Monday, according to AFP.

“We had a request from Germany and since then we have also received a request from the Czech Republic,” Amherd told public broadcaster SRF.

“We have not discussed the purchase of tanks from Switzerland, but if Switzerland wants to give us its Leopard 2s as a reward for our help to Ukraine, we will certainly not be against it,” a spokesman for the Czech defense minister told AFP. defense, David Jares.

Once Switzerland’s defense needs are met, “there will be a certain number of tanks that we don’t need and that we can provide if the parliament declares them withdrawn,” Amgerd said in an interview.

She did not provide details about the request from Prague and, in particular, about the number of tanks requested by the Czech Republic.

In late February, Germany asked the minister to “approve” German defense group Rheinmetall’s acquisition of the Swiss Army’s Leopard 2 battle tanks, which are currently decommissioned and in secret storage.

Since Switzerland, in the name of neutrality, prohibits the transfer of military equipment to a country at war, Berlin has assured Switzerland that the tanks will not be re-exported to Ukraine, the ministry said. The same rule should apply to the request of the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic is the main supplier of weapons to the Ukrainians, including Soviet tanks of the same type used by the Ukrainian military.

The maintenance of Swiss tanks “in Germany or with NATO and EU partners will be guaranteed” to fill the gaps created by the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks given by these countries to Ukraine and to improve the supply of spare parts, the Swiss Ministry of Defense said. upon the announcement of the German demand.

The Swiss army has been accumulating 96 Leopard 2 tanks for years, which are regularly tested but not upgraded.

The Swiss Army has 134 Leopard 2s in service. It believes it can give up a “limited” number of Leopard 2s in storage.

The neutrality debate is raging in Switzerland after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Although the Alpine country, which is not a member of the European Union, has accepted all the sanctions imposed by Brussels against Russia, it firmly adheres to its military neutrality.

Despite calls from Kyiv and its allies to allow the re-export of Swiss weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, the government has so far rejected requests from Germany, Spain and Denmark.

The parliament is considering various initiatives to allow the export of Swiss weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.