Leopard 2 A4 Main Battle Tank in the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden. (Wikimedia Commons)
Switzerland shipped a first installment of Leopard 2 tanks to Germany, which replaces tanks its northern neighbor is sending to Ukraine, as pledges of billions in aid from Europe and the US are tied up amid political wrangling.
The first nine Leopard 2 A4 tanks were handed over to Germany’s Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH on Tuesday, Swiss defense procurement authority armasuisse said in a statement. Sixteen more tanks will be sent in the coming days, it added, without disclosing the price at which the tanks were sold for.
The government had agreed to export the tanks only on the condition that they would not be passed on to Ukraine, to ensure Switzerland stuck to its tradition of military neutrality. Nevertheless, it marks a milestone as the first time the Swiss actively backed European military aid for Ukraine, by ensuring Germany can replenish its tank stocks.
Rheinmetall also agreed to place orders for other military equipment with Swiss defense manufacturers as part of the deal, armasuisse said.
