In addition to Leopard 2 tanks, German armaments firm Rheinmetall desires to purchase 96 Leopard 1 tanks from Swiss defence agency Ruag to ship to Ukraine, the Swiss newspaper Tages- Anzeiger reported on Saturday.
The deal entails used and non-operational Leopard 1 tanks, which Ruag purchased in 2016 in Italy and that are nonetheless there.
“Rheinmetall wanted to buy the vehicles and made it clear that they would be delivered to Ukraine after being reconditioned,” a spokesperson for Ruag instructed Tages-Anzeiger.
Ruag requested a non-binding preliminary clarification from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, and acquired a detrimental reply, in keeping with Tages-Anzeiger.
The deal may nevertheless nonetheless undergo and is prone to be mentioned by Switzerland’s Federal Council. When precisely, is unclear.
There was no instant response to requests for remark from Ruag or Rheinmetall.
The predecessor to the Leopard 2, Leopard 1 tanks are lighter, with a smaller engine and a shorter firing vary than their extra fashionable counterpart, however are stated to have the ability to maintain up in opposition to Russian T-72 tanks.
The Swiss and German governments stated on Friday that Germany had requested Switzerland to promote again a few of its mothballed Leopard 2 tanks, in a deal that would enable Western nations to extend navy help to Ukraine.
In a letter seen by Reuters, the German authorities stated it could be very grateful if Switzerland may approve the acquisition of mothballed Leopard 2 tanks by Rheinmetall, because it had achieved prior to now, if these tanks weren’t supposed to be put into operation once more.
“The tanks will not be sold onto Ukraine. We guarantee that they will remain in Germany or with our partners in NATO and the EU, to plug gaps that have emerged through the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks (to Ukraine) and to improve the supply with spare parts in general,” the letter stated.
Under its neutrality legal guidelines and a separate arms embargo, Switzerland is prohibited from sending weapons on to Ukraine.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
