Switzerland rejects plan to export nearly 100 Leopards to Ukraine

Swiss officials vetoed plans to export nearly 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, even though they have not yet deployed or operated the tanks.

"The Swiss Federal Council has concluded that the sale of 96 tanks cannot be carried out under current law. Such a sale would be contrary to the Military Supplies Act and would lead to a change in Switzerland's neutrality policy," the agency said in a statement on June 28.

Swiss company Ruag bought 96 Leopard 1 tanks from Italy in 2016 but never shipped them back to Switzerland. Ruag planned to sell the tanks to a third country after refurbishing them. Earlier this year, Ruag applied for an export license for the tanks to German arms giant Rheinmetall, which planned to refurbish and sell them to Ukraine.

Switzerland has repeatedly opposed the export or refused to license the re-export of its weapons to Ukraine. This is due to its neutrality, a key pillar of its foreign and security policy, which does not allow it to become involved in conflicts between two other countries or to provide direct or indirect military support to any of the belligerents.

German Leopard 1A5 main battle tank on display in the town of Dillingen an der Donau in June 2019. Photo: Bundeswehr — German Leopard 1A5 main battle tank on display in the town of Dillingen an der Donau in June 2019. Photo: *Bundeswehr*

Switzerland requires in any contract for the sale of arms and military supplies that the counterparty does not transfer them to a third country without Bern's prior consent. In the event that a third country is involved in an armed conflict, domestic or international, Switzerland will refuse to grant an export license for arms and ammunition. This is a practice that is widely recognized internationally.

Germany's Rheinmetall said on March 4 that it wanted to buy 96 Leopard 1 tanks from Ruag, then refurbish them and ship them to Ukraine. Germany also asked Switzerland to sell some of its retired Leopard 2 tanks to offset the shortage in the armies of NATO and European Union (EU) member states, after it provided Ukraine with this type of main battle tank.

Porsche developed the Leopard 1 main battle tank in the 1960s, with over 4,700 produced. The Leopard 1 weighed 42.2 tons, was armed with a 105 mm L7A3 rifled gun, two MG-3 or FN MAG guns, and could reach a top speed of 65 km/h with a range of 450-600 km.

The Leopard 1 is lighter and has less firepower than the Leopard 2, a heavier 62-ton tank equipped with a 120 mm Rh-120 smoothbore gun and advanced armor. Germany also used the Leopard 1 chassis to build the Flakpanzer Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with two 35 mm Oerlikon GDF guns and target tracking radar.

Nguyen Tien (According to FT )

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