A decision by the Swiss government on Wednesday makes it more likely that Bern will comply with a request from the German government for a resale of 25 decommissioned Leopard 2 main battle tanks to the German manufacturer Rheinmetall. The government supports a proposal to this effect by a parliamentary commission. This provides for 25 of 96 decommissioned Leopard 2 tanks of the Swiss Army to be definitively decommissioned, thus enabling them to be sold back to Rheinmetall. 71 of the 96 decommissioned tanks were to remain in Switzerland as a reserve.

Niklas Zimmermann

Editor in politics.

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Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius asked Switzerland in a letter in February to sell it back. They assured that the tanks would not be transferred to Ukraine, but that they would remain in Germany or with NATO or EU partners to fill gaps created by the transfer of main battle tanks to Ukraine.

With regard to neutrality, this was also the condition of those Swiss politicians who advocate the transfer of tanks to Germany. The parliamentary commission had also made it a condition that tanks could only be decommissioned if they were sold back to the manufacturing company, as is now planned.

A sign of indirect support

"Today's Federal Council decision is a correct and important sign," wrote Swiss FDP politician Maja Riniker on Twitter after the government's decision. An indirect Swiss contribution in support of Ukraine is "very important". Riniker is the author of the Commission's proposal. It had failed in a first attempt for the transfer of decommissioned Leopard tanks.

This spring, however, there was a rethink, especially among the Social Democrats (SP) and the Christian Democratic party Die Mitte. Only the national-conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP) remains fundamentally opposed to the transfer of tanks. "The Federal Council weakens Switzerland's defense capability and undermines the country's neutrality," the SVP wrote in a statement. The party announced that it would resist in parliament.

Increasing pressure from abroad

In fact, before the tanks can be passed on to Germany, the approval of both chambers of parliament in Bern is still necessary. Now that a broad centre-left alliance is emerging, the chances of this happening are likely to have increased. Ensuring the traceability of deliveries is likely to be crucial, for which the Greens are also demanding assurances. On the other hand, the Swiss Ministry of Economic Affairs will have to examine an export application from Rheinmetal after a possible adoption in parliament. The intra-party pressure on the responsible SVP minister Guy Parmelin is then likely to increase.

In the opposite direction, Switzerland is coming under increasing pressure from abroad. "We hope that something will happen," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in mid-April about the resale of Leopard tanks demanded by Berlin. No one can demand that Switzerland give up neutrality, said Swiss SP President Alain Berset after the meeting with Scholz in Berlin. According to the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung", Berset is also said to have backed the "center" defense minister Viola Amherd, who is considered the driving force behind the government's latest decision.

The middle way is apparently intended to counteract international criticism without abandoning neutrality. Requests from Western states to pass on Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine are therefore likely to continue to meet with majority resistance. Among other things, Germany, which wants to pass on ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank to Kyiv, had campaigned for this. Denmark wants to supply anti-aircraft guns, and Spain wants to supply Swiss-made infantry fighting vehicles.