Switzerland has blocked arms company Ruag AG from selling nearly 100 Leopard 1 tanks as part of a deal that would have sent them to Ukraine to fight Russia, Reuters and Bloomberg reported.

The Swiss government said on Wednesday that the arms company’s request was “incompatible” with the country’s law, citing its neutrality status, which prevents the sale of weapons that could end up in a conflict zone.

The decision concerns 96 Leopard 1 tanks owned by Ruag AG, which are in long-term storage in Italy after decommissioning. If Switzerland approved the deal, they would be repaired in Germany and then shipped to Ukraine.

It will be recalled that Germany approved the transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine at the beginning of February, a few days after making the same decision regarding the Leopard 2 model, its direct successor.

Why does Ukraine have Leopard-1 tanks at all?

Although the last Leopard 1 tank was produced in 1984 by the German arms company Krauss-Maffei, the model remains in service with several NATO countries. Most of the alliance’s countries have made the transition to the more modern Leopard 2 model, but this also means that hundreds of Leopard 1 tanks are currently in storage in Europe, which could be sent to Ukraine if they are repaired.

Leopard tanks have been requested by the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the Russian invasion, and they are desired by the military leadership in Kyiv because of their reliability, shorter logistics and maintenance chains and the fact that they are easier to maintain than the American Abrams models. example .

By the way, only last month, Ukraine agreed with the German company Rheinmetall on the repair and construction of tanks on its territory.

Rheinmetall produces ammunition, other military equipment, as well as Leopard tanks, which Germany decided to send to Ukraine, which the company produces together with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.

Switzerland confirms its military neutrality

While the Leopard 2 tanks are clearly more effective, military analysts note that their direct predecessor could also give the Ukrainian army a mobility advantage, especially as Russia has been removing more of its older Soviet-made models from its military stockpiles for months.

However, the Swiss government confirmed its policy of neutrality in March of this year, saying that it would not change its strategy of refusing to re-export weapons produced on its territory to other states, despite pressure from many countries that demanded the right to transfer arms.Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the war, Switzerland has received requests from Germany, Denmark and Spain to re-export Swiss military materials to Ukraine, but all these requests have been rejected.

However, the Swiss government joined the sanctions adopted by the European Union against Russia and repeatedly called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

Follow the latest events of the 490th day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.