Swiss Firm Faces Probe Over Failed Deal to Sell Ukraine-Bound Leopard Tanks

Swiss President Ignazio Cassis earlier pledged that his country would not supply weapons to Ukraine despite “persistent” pressure.

Switzerland’s Defense Ministry has asked external auditors to investigate the state-run arms maker Ruag AG’s botched attempt to sell 96 Leopard 1 tanks to Germany’s Rheinmetall AG defense contractor.

Ruag planned to sell these non-operational tanks to Rheinmetall, which in turn looked to refurbish them in order to deliver the tanks to Ukraine, where Russia continues its special military operation. The Leopard 1s, which have been stored in Italy since 2016, belong to Ruag.

In late June, however, Swiss authorities blocked the deal, saying that Rheinmetall’s request is “inconsistent with applicable law,” and that Switzerland is a neutral country, which cannot approve arms' sales to an active conflict zone. Ruag said at the time that it acknowledged the decision.

This followed the company’s Chief Executive Officer Brigitte Beck stepping down earlier this month after insisting European countries should send Swiss-made arms to Ukraine.

The right-wing Swiss People’s Party, the strongest force in the country’s parliament, responded by saying that the country enjoys peace and stability only through neutrality, and that the doctrine is non-negotiable.

The developments were preceded by Swiss President Ignazio Cassis telling Sputnik that Switzerland will not supply weapons to Ukraine, nor will his country participate in any other way directly or indirectly in armed conflicts.

"Neither during the First World War, nor even during World War Two we exported weapons. We will not export weapons, we will not directly or indirectly participate in a military conflict, either in terms of weapons or in terms of our troops, either in Ukraine, Russia, or anywhere else in the world," Cassis emphasized. The president added that the pressure his country has been facing in this regard is persistent.

The US and its NATO allies have boosted their weapon supplies to Ukraine since the start of Russia's special military operation. Moscow has repeatedly warned that arms deliveries from third countries to Ukraine would be considered a legitimate target for the Russian Armed Forces.