In a strange move, Germany asked Switzerland to sell it Leopard 2 tanks manufactured by the largest German companies, pledging at the same time not to send them to Ukraine to help them fend off Russian forces.
The German Ministry of Defense confirmed today, Friday, that it will not send these tanks to Kiev if Switzerland agrees to sell them.
This came after the Swiss government announced earlier today that Berlin had asked it to sell it some Leopard 2 tanks in its stores in an agreement that would allow Germany and other countries to increase military support for Ukraine.
Replenish
Germany wants Switzerland to resell some tanks to the manufacturer, Rheinmetall, in order to allow the company to fill a shortfall in arming EU and NATO member states.
The Swiss Ministry of Defense said that the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and the Minister of Economy Robert Habeck informed the Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd of the project in a letter dating back to February 23.
The German politicians also asked their Swiss counterparts to agree to the sale, with assurances that the tanks would not be transferred to Ukraine itself.
A spokesman for the Swiss Defense Ministry told Reuters that discussions on this issue are currently taking place in parliament.
Switzerland is prohibited from sending weapons directly to Ukraine due to its laws on political neutrality and a separate arms embargo.
Meanwhile, many European countries are seeking to increase military support for Kiev, especially ahead of an expected Russian offensive in the spring.
Countries such as Germany, Poland, Portugal, Finland and Sweden are sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine to help them defend themselves against Russian attacks, which has caused a shortage in the arsenals of those countries.
