Guess Germans got sick of being criticized. They are delivering 50 Gepard mechanized anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. The 100 Marder IFVs German arms company Rhinemetall wants to deliver to Ukraine is stalled out because a Swiss company that makes the ammo is refusing the transfer.
Quote:
Neutral Switzerland has held up German arms deliveries to Ukraine by blocking the re-export of Swiss-made ammunition used in Marder infantry fighting vehicles that Kyiv would like to get, Swiss paper SonntagsZeitung reported.
The news comes as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces growing criticism for his government's failure to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian attacks, even as other Western allies step up shipments. read more
The Marder, made by German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE), uses ammunition manufactured in Switzerland, the paper said. Switzerland restricts the re-export of such war materiel to conflict zones.
The paper quoted a spokesperson for the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) as saying it had received two inquiries from Germany about transferring to Ukraine munitions it had got from Switzerland.
"Both of Germany's requests were answered in the negative with reference to Swiss neutrality and the mandatory rejection criteria of the war material legislation," it quoted the spokesperson as saying.
SECO was not immediately available for comment on Sunday outside of regular business hours.
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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...er-2022-04-24/