Netherlands wants 96 tanks for Ukraine
An explosive dossier is on the Federal Council's table: the head of the Dutch government is personally pressuring Bern for Leopard 1 battle tanks.
Pressure from Europe for Swiss arms deliveries to Ukraine is increasing again. It was already known that Germany, Denmark and Spain wanted to pass on Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine. But the Federal Council vetoed this. Now research shows that the Federal Council is confronted with new demands from an unexpected source: the Netherlands. And unlike in the case of Germany, for example, where only about 12,000 anti-aircraft cartridges are at stake, this time Switzerland is to release heavy war equipment on a grand scale to Ukraine: 96 old Leopard 1 main battle tanks owned by the federally owned arms company Ruag. The head of the Dutch government, Mark Rutte, recently intervened in this matter with the President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, with the expectation that the Federal Council should release the export of these tanks. This was confirmed to this newspaper by four informed persons in the federal administration. A spokesperson for Berset's media office did not want to comment on this information: "We do not comment on any bilateral contacts.
With Rutte's intervention, a problem that has been smoldering for weeks is becoming hot in Bern. The 96 Leopard 1s are not to be confused with the main battle tanks of the successor type Leopard 2, which are in service with the Swiss army. Only last week, the Federal Council decided to take 25 of them out of service so that they could later be sold on to Germany. The German government had previously given assurances that it would not pass the tanks on to Ukraine. The final decision on this issue, however, will be taken by parliament. The case of the Leopard 1 is legally quite different. What's more, these tanks are not even in Switzerland. They are the predecessor model of the Leopard 2, which was manufactured until the 1980s. The 96 Leopard 1s originally belonged to Italy, but were taken out of service years ago. In 2016, Ruag bought these tanks. They are currently in a depot in northern Italy. As early as the beginning of March, this newspaper made it public that the German arms company Rheinmetall was interested in these tanks - with the idea of technically refurbishing them and then supplying them to Ukraine. At the time, Ruag sent a non-binding request to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), but received a negative reply.
At the time, Seco referred to the Federal Council Ordinance on Measures in Connection with the Situation in Ukraine. Article 2 of the ordinance states that the sale, transit or brokering of military equipment is not only prohibited to Russia, but also to Ukraine. With Seco's negative legal opinion, the issue seemed to be settled.
But that was a mistake.
On Thursday morning, Radio SRF made it public that Ruag is not letting up and has now submitted an official request to Seco. Ruag hopes that this will provide clarity, said Ruag spokeswoman Kirsten Hammerich. "We would like an official decision from Seco so that we can better assess the business options." Radio SRF did not report on the role of the Netherlands. Three informed people say the Netherlands wants to co-finance the purchase and modernization of the tanks and then pass them on to Ukraine. It is currently unclear whether other states want to participate in this planned deal. The Dutch embassy in Bern did not want to comment when asked. No further information was available from the Ruag and Rheinmetall companies for the time being. That the Netherlands in particular is pushing for further arms deliveries is less surprising than it seems at first glance. The country has delivered significant quantities of heavy war equipment to Ukraine, including battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and air defense systems. One reason is that the Netherlands itself has been the victim of military aggression by Russia: On 17 July 2014, in the early days of the Russian-Ukrainian war, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing was shot down by a Russian missile in eastern Ukraine. This resulted in the deaths of 192 people from the Netherlands.
What is the next step in the Leopard 1 dossier? Theoretically, Seco or Guy Parmelin, the minister responsible for the economy, could answer the application itself. But in all likelihood, Parmelin will submit the delicate dossier to the Federal Council as a whole. This was indicated by the President of the Confederation, Alain Berset, who was at the European Political Community summit in Moldova on Thursday. Asked about the Leopard 1, he told journalists: "These are questions that really have to be dealt with by the Federal Council." Parmelin reportedly wanted to bring the Leopard 1 issue to the Federal Council last week - at the same time as Defense Minister Viola Amherd's request to phase out the 25 Leopard 2s. But then Parmelin withdrew the deal for revision, according to reports. So the Federal Council only took a decision on the Leopard 2s, but not yet on the Leopard 1s. Opinions within the federal administration are divided. There are voices that say that the national government cannot possibly approve the sale of the Leopard 1 because of the laws and ordinances in force and neutrality. Other voices think that there are legal possibilities - especially since the tanks are not even in Switzerland. Berset said in Moldova that it was important for the Federal Council to adhere strongly and stably to Swiss principles in times of great instability: "That is what we are trying to do." The Russian attack was a serious violation of international law. One cannot insist on the one hand that rules be observed at the international level and then not observe them oneself. This does not mean that nothing can be changed, but it must be done "in an orderly manner".
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