Dutch prime minister ‘disappointed’ by Swiss rejection of tanks re-sale
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was "disappointed" by Switzerland's refusal to allow the re-sale of old tanks to Ukraine.
Keystone / Olivier Matthys
Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte has criticised Switzerland's refusal to allow the re-sale of old tanks to Ukraine. "To be honest, I was really disappointed, and I find it hard to understand," Rutte said in Brussels on Thursday.
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Премьер-министр Нидерландов «разочарован» Швейцарией
Rutte said he was in “close contact” with the Swiss government and “was hoping for a different result”. Speaking to some Swiss journalists after the summit he also added that he wishes to “avoid any repercussions on the relations with the Confederation”, as reported by RSIExternal link.
On Wednesday the Federal Council refused a request from Ruag SA to hand over 96 Leopard 1 AS battle tanks to the German manufacturer Rheinmetall. The tanks are currently stored in Italy and the idea would have been to repair them in Germany before re-export to Ukraine.
The Netherlands officially asked Switzerland to release the tanks and offered to pay for the refurbishment. But this will not be possible, because, on the basis of the Swiss neutrality policy and the War Materiel Act, the Federal Council said the Swiss law prohibits the delivery of war materiel to countries involved in armed conflicts.
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