Germany has found a new source for its Leopard 2 tanks by asking Switzerland to sell some of its combat vehicles that were in long-term storage, Reuters reports.

This was stated in a joint statement of the governments of Germany and Switzerland on Friday.

Berlin wants Switzerland to sell some of its Leopard 2 tanks to German manufacturer Rheinmetall, which would allow the company to fill gaps in the arsenals of European Union and NATO members.

Germany, Poland, Portugal, Norway, Finland and Sweden are among the countries that have announced they will send Leopard tanks to Ukraine to defend against a Russian invasion that is leaving their own armed forces vulnerable.

By the way, this was also the reason cited by the former head of the Special Operations Command and the French Military Intelligence Directorate, General Christophe Gomard, when at the end of January he sharply criticized the prospect of Paris sending its French-made Leclerc tanks to Ukraine. .

What Germany wants to do with the Leopard 2 tanks sold to Switzerland

The defense ministries in Bern and Berlin announced that ministers Boris Pistorius and Robert Habeck had informed Viola Amherd, the Swiss defense minister, of Germany’s desire to buy the Leopard 2 tanks in a February 23 letter.

A copy of the letter obtained by Reuters said the German government would be “very grateful” if Switzerland could approve the long-term storage sale of Leopard 2 tanks to Rheinmetall, as it has done in the past, as long as it has no intention of using the vehicles for combat again.

“Tanks will not be sold to Ukraine. We will ensure that they remain in Germany or with our NATO and EU partners to fill the gaps created by the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks and generally improve the supply of spare parts,” the letter said.

He did not specify how many tanks Berlin wants to buy, but noted that the German government knows that “there is also a discussion in Switzerland about the implications for national defense.” [a războiului rusesc împotriva Ucrainei]”.

Switzerland’s neutrality law and separate arms legislation prohibit Switzerland from selling arms directly to Ukraine.

Almost 100 Leopard 2 tanks are in warehouses in Switzerland

Defense Minister Viola Amherd responded to Berlin’s letter on March 1, saying a possible sale of the country’s tank fleet would require the Swiss parliament to officially declare the vehicles in question retired from service.

“Discussions on this topic are currently ongoing in the parliament,” said a spokesman for the Swiss government.

Currently, the Swiss armed forces have 134 Leopard 2 tanks in service, another 96 are in long-term storage.

The executive body in Bern did not specify how many Leopards Germany had requested, but a defense ministry spokesman said Switzerland could end up without a “limited number” of the tanks.

Switzerland previously blocked requests from Germany, Spain and Denmark for permission to re-export Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine, but the issue is becoming increasingly controversial in the country.

The last months of the war, especially Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, have led to a marked change in Swiss public opinion regarding aid to the country led by Volodymyr Zelensky.

Two security commissions in the Swiss parliament have already recommended easing arms export rules, putting new pressure on the government in Bern.

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