Belgian arms trader tangles with minister over tanks for Ukraine - Reuters

TOURNAI, Belgium, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Freddy Versluys does not similar to beryllium called an arms dealer. But helium does person a large warehouse afloat of second-hand tanks for sale.

Standing adjacent to dozens of German-made Leopard 1 tanks and different subject vehicles successful the chilly warehouse successful eastbound Belgium, Versluys stressed helium is the CEO of 2 defence companies with a wide scope of activities, specified arsenic making sensors for spacecraft.

But buying and selling weapons is portion of his concern too. And it’s the tanks that person brought him into the spotlight implicit the past fewer days, arsenic helium has engaged successful a nationalist conflict with Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder implicit the anticipation of sending them to Ukraine.

While different Western nations person pledged successful caller weeks to nonstop main conflict tanks to assistance Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion, Belgium has not joined that group, for 1 crushed supra all: It doesn’t person immoderate tanks left. It sold the past of them – a batch of 50 – to Versluys’s institution much than 5 years ago.

Asked wherefore helium bought the tanks, Versluys, a silver-haired antheral successful his mid-60s, said that was his company’s concern exemplary – it bought unwanted subject instrumentality successful the anticipation that idiosyncratic other would privation it successful future.

“There are inactive countries successful the satellite who person these Leopard 1 tanks. So there's ever a anticipation either to merchantability spare parts oregon to merchantability further tanks,” helium said.

But, helium added: “Of course, it's a gamble... Maybe time we volition person to scrap them (or) 10 years aboriginal they tin inactive beryllium there.”

Dedonder has said the authorities has explored the thought of buying backmost tanks to nonstop them to Ukraine. But she has blasted the prices quoted arsenic “unreasonable” and “extremely high”. Tanks sold for 10-15,000 euros each are being offered for merchantability astatine 500,000 euros, contempt not being operational, she has said.

The spat highlights a predicament faced by Western governments arsenic they scramble to find much weapons for Ukraine aft astir a twelvemonth of aggravated warfare – arms they discarded arsenic obsolete are present successful precocious demand, and galore are present successful the hands of backstage companies.

Dedonder hasn’t named Versluys’s company, OIP Land Systems, successful her accusations. But Versluys is definite helium is her target. Dedonder declined a petition for an interview.

Versluys has taken the antithetic measurement of going nationalist to quality the minister’s assertions, offering a uncommon penetration into the workings of a concern that often prefers to support a debased profile.

Versluys said his steadfast bought the 50 tanks for astir 2 cardinal euros and lone 33 were useable. That would mean a portion terms of 40,000 euros for 50 tanks, oregon immoderate 60,600 euros for 33.

He said his selling terms could scope anyplace from respective 100 1000 to adjacent to a cardinal euros but that would see enactment to refit the tanks, which helium insisted could beryllium highly expensive.

Replacing the strategy that controls the gunfire could outgo 350,000 euros per tank, replacing asbestos successful the motor could outgo 75,000 euros, helium said. Each vessel had to beryllium assessed individually.

“We inactive person to look astatine what is their existent presumption and what we person to walk connected them to marque them suitable,” helium said.

MILITARY HYPERMARKET

As portion of his nationalist offensive, Versluys has fixed journalists tours of his warehouse connected the outskirts of the provincial municipality of Tournai. It resembles a subject hypermarket, filled with lines of Leopard 1 tanks successful dusty greenish and achromatic camouflage and scores of different subject vehicles, on with shelves stacked with spare parts and piles of webbing.

In his income pitch, Versluys besides emphasises that refitted Leopard 1 tanks could beryllium battlefield-ready successful months - overmuch much rapidly than caller models ordered today, which volition instrumentality years to produce.

The Leopard 1 is the predecessor of the Leopard 2 tanks that Germany, Poland, Finland and different countries agreed past period to nonstop to Ukraine. It is lighter than the Leopard 2 and has a antithetic benignant of main gun. The models successful Versluys’s warehouse were past upgraded successful the 1990s.

Yohann Michel, an expert astatine the International Institute for Strategic Studies deliberation tank, said Leopard 1 tanks would not beryllium arsenic invaluable connected the battlefield arsenic their successors.

But, helium said, they could inactive beryllium of immoderate usage successful taking connected older Russian tanks and successful supporting infantry units, peculiarly if they were refitted to a precocious standard.

If Belgium does not bargain backmost the tanks, different state could acquisition them for Kyiv. Versluys said helium had held discussions with respective European governments astir that option.

Last year, Britain bought 46 infantry warring vehicles from his steadfast for Ukraine and sent retired engineers who worked circular the timepiece to refit them, Versluys said.

However, immoderate export of Leopard 1s would necessitate the support from the Belgian portion of Wallonia, wherever the institution is based, and from Berlin, arsenic the tanks were made by German steadfast KMW.

Versluys is simply a creaseless salesman, reeling disconnected names, exemplary numbers and prices of galore bits of subject kit. He worked arsenic an technologist successful the Belgian subject earlier going into business.

While helium does not similar the “arms dealer” label, helium said the weapons concern is amended than its reputation: “Contrary to what radical say, it’s rather a civilised market.”

Reporting by Andrew Gray; Editing by Nick Macfie

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