class=”sc-97fd9fa8-0 jNFKxv”>
The arms company Ruag is currently not allowed to sell its Leopard 1 tanks to Germany. Federal Councilor Viola Amherd said during question time at the National Council that authorities had rejected Ruag’s application as part of a preliminary investigation.
The German armaments group Rheinmetall has made it clear that it wants to pass the tanks on to Ukraine after repairs, Amherd explains. With that, she confirmed a report from the Tamedia newspapers in early March.
Based on the regulation on measures related to the situation in Ukraine, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) had rejected RUAG Switzerland’s preliminary request, Amherd said.
Tanks are still in Italy
During the question hour, the two national councilors Franziska Roth (SP/SO) and David Zuberbühler (SVP/AR) wanted to know, among other things, why RUAG bought the tanks and what plans they have with it. Based on the media report, both assumed there were 96 tanks.
The RUAG bought the used and non-operational tanks in 2016 from an agency of Italy’s Defense Ministry, Amherd said. With the purchase at the time, Ruag intended to prepare the vehicles for potential buyers and/or sell spare parts to potential buyers. The tanks are still in Italy. Amherd left open how many tanks they were. (SDA)
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
