In Switzerland, the parliament decided that 25 decommissioned Leopard 2 tanks can be sold back to Germany. For this, Berlin had to guarantee that the tanks would not be delivered to Ukraine.

The Swiss army can decommission 25 decommissioned Leopard 2 tanks, which can then be sold back to the German manufacturer. The Swiss parliament voted for it on Tuesday, according to Tagesschau.de.

After the National Council, the Council of Cantons also agreed.

The right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) voted against the resale. SVP deputy Werner Salzmann argued that giving up tanks would put the Swiss army at a disadvantage compared to other countries.

Not for Ukraine

According to the Swiss government, previously German Federal Minister of Economy Robert Habeck and Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius assured in a letter to Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd that tanks will not go to Ukraine if Switzerland votes in favor. The requested guarantee was that these tanks remain in Germany, in other EU or NATO countries.

Minister Amherd said the sell-back was “right from the point of view of neutrality law and makes sense from the point of view of integration policy” for Switzerland, which thus contributes to European security. It is in her interests if the partner countries can strengthen their defense capabilities in this way, she explained.

In February, Germany asked Switzerland to resell its now defunct Leopard 2 tanks to German manufacturer Rheinmetall. In May, the Swiss government agreed to decommission 25 of the 96 non-modernized Leopard 2s in the army’s arsenal. After the positive vote of the parliament, he must now determine the time of the resale.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put Switzerland in a position to challenge its long-standing neutrality enshrined in the Constitution. It prohibits, among other things, the export of weapons manufactured or owned by Switzerland to parties to the conflict. The country has joined EU sanctions against Moscow, but continues to maintain military neutrality.

New tanks for Germany

Germany wants to fill the gaps in its own reserves created by the sale of the Leopard 2 to Ukraine. As compensation for the supply of tanks to Ukraine, the Bundeswehr will receive 18 new Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks. The budget committee of the Bundestag allocated approximately 525 million euros for this.

The models replace 18 copies of the Leopard 2A6 tank that Germany delivered to Ukraine. The Leopard 2 is the main weapon of the German armored forces. Not only was the equipment transferred to Ukraine replaced, but the main battle tank was also equipped with new protection systems.