Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Thursday, March 23, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Europe

Germany wants Switzerland to sell back tanks

Nikola Kiš by Nikola Kiš
3 March 2023
in Europe
Armed,Forces,Of,Belarus,And,Russia,,Large-scale,Military,Exercises.,Cargo

Armed forces of Belarus and Russia, large-scale military exercises. Cargo train carrying military equipment and military armed tanks on a freight platform.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Germany has called on Switzerland to sell back some Leopard 2 tanks to the manufacturer Rheinmetall.

The company would then fill the gaps in the arsenals of some EU member states caused by supplying weapons to Ukraine, according to Reuters reporting on Friday.

Finland, Germany, Poland, Portugal and Sweden have sent tanks to Ukraine, with Rheinmetall looking for ways to resupply them.

Boris Pistorius, German Minister of Defence, and Robert Habeck, Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, presented the proposal to Swiss Minister of Defence Viola Amherd in a letter on 23 February.

They assured Amherd that the tanks in question would not be sent to Ukraine, with the Swiss Ministry of Defence pointing out “there would be no onward transfer of the battle tanks to Ukraine.”

Switzerland’s neutrality rules prevent the country from providing Ukraine with weapons directly and the country would have to ease its rules to help Rheinmetall backfill gaps in the arsenals of EU and NATO member states, which would allow them to send more weapons to Ukraine.

In her response on 1 March, Amherd noted that the Swiss parliament would have to declare the mothballed part of the country’s tank fleet to be out of service before any sale could take place.

Parliament discussing the plan

Her ministry pointed out that “discussions on this issue are currently underway in parliament” and added that a limited number of tanks could be sold back to the manufacturer.

The Swiss Armed Forces have 134 Leopard 2s in service and an additional 96 in storage, with the Swiss government announcing it would comment on developments at the start of next week.

The Swiss Ministry of Defence did not say how many Leopard 2s Germany wanted to buy and its German counterpart was not available to comment.

Switzerland previously rejected requests of EU member states including Denmark, Germany and Spain to re-export Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine, but growing political pressure is pushing the government to revise Switzerland’s neutrality rules.

Two parliamentary security committees have recommended an easing of the rules as pressure from EU neighbours continues to mount and the issue becomes increasingly divisive.

Tags: Brussels LatestMain-Slidertanks
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • Health & Fitness
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Brussels Bubble
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Wider Europe
    • Member States
  • World
  • Business & Society
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Culture & Society
  • Policy Talks
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT