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Media: Nearly 100 Leopard 1 tanks stored in the open as Switzerland rejects transfer to Ukraine (kyivindependent.com)

submitted 1 year ago by lusterko@kbin.social to c/Ukraine_UA@kbin.social

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Almost 100 Swiss-made Leopard 1 tanks are being stored out in the open in Italy following Switzerland's refusal to allow their transfer to Ukraine, Swiss public broadcasting organization RSI reported on Aug. 26.

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[–] blanketswithsmallpox@kbin.social 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Switzerland is not, and has never been neutral: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_neutrality

If you aid fascists, dictators, money laundering, and genocides, by taking both our and their money then you are no longer neutral lol.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/27/switzerland-neutrality-obsolete/

[–] PugJesus@kbin.social 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I can't imagine Switzerland is going to make many arms sales in the future with the prominence of this policy.

[–] FaceDeer@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago

Yeah, they're trading off the short-term gain of shady Russian oligarch money for the long-term cost of their arms exports.

Countries buy weapons to use in ways that enhance their national defense, and in this case their national defense is best served by giving the tanks to Ukraine to wreck Russia for them. Now it's clear to all that buying Swiss saddles you with limitations that prevent you from using their weapons optimally.

[–] Ooops@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

While everyone talks about nobody ever wanting to buy Swiss arms again, Switzerlands arms exports actually increased by 30% in the last year.

Because they can always sell to totally unproblematic countries without territoral or human-rights issues in Africa, Asia or the middle-East to make up the losses in Europe/US.

[–] Alto@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Never ask a man his salary, a woman her age, or Switzerland how they got so god damn rich

[–] bedrooms@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Wondering if they'd just ignore Swiss refusal and never buy through Swiss arms dealers again.

[–] Ooops@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago

Needing approvement for re-export is not some magical Swiss law but the rule all arms trade is based on.

Sure, you can just ignore it. But then nobody will sell you anythjing anymore, because no country is willing to sell any of their military technology without control who gets their hands on those pieces.

[–] LordR@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

Apparently about 20 of those tanks were sold to a German company in 2019. So they don't belong to Switzerland and are not located in Switzerland. I really hope at least those cam be given to Ukraine...

[–] Alto@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

At what point do we tell the Swiss where to shove their "neutrality"

[–] LordR@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm Swiss, this is a way to strict neutrality. But the biggest party in Switzerland suddenly is against weapon exports, now that is about helping Ukraine fight Russia. I'm pretty sure that they have strong ties to Russia or Russian money...

Hopefully the 20-something tanks out of those 100 that were sold in 2019 can get to Ukraine!

[–] Alto@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

Nah, Switzerland would never have ties to fascist money, especially not in a way that would heavily influence foreign policy

[–] bdesk@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

No strict neutrality in your country if your compatriot are always taking dictator money. And not returning stolen goods from jews murdered in the holocaust. Your country is not neutral at all and picked a side a long time ago. All swiss are complicit in this.

[–] xuxebiko@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

Switzerland enabled Nazis, dictatorships arounf the world, and its been enabling Putin; all while calling itself 'neutral'.

[–] rynzcycle@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

Yeah, this one is easy. Just put a new stamp on the side of the tanks, send them, and if Switzerland asks just say you don't know what happened to the tanks and your privacy laws prohibit you from saying anything else about it.

[–] Jaytreeman@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The newest ones are nearly 40 years old.
Most of the arms that are being sent to Ukraine is just a way to clean up old stock.

[–] lusterko@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Yet Switzerland still won't allow that