Germany has decided to ban the export of 28 Brazilianmade armored vehicles to the Philippines, a move seen by the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government as retaliation for the President’s refusal to sell tank ammunition to Berlin, to bring them to Ukraine fight against Russia.
The case was exposed by Veja magazine. The case was exposed by Veja magazine. The sale, completed in 2021 between Israeli company Elbit and the Asian country’s army, included tanks and other defense equipment, including armored personnel carriers.
On this last point, Elbit opted for the Brazilian Guarani model, developed in partnership by the Brazilian Army with the Italian company Iveco and manufactured in Sete Lagoas (MG). The Brazilian military owns a percentage of the armored vehicle’s intellectual property and receives royalties for each unit exported it has already been sold to Lebanon, for example.
According to unofficial information from the Ministry of Defense, Germany claimed that since it is a private company, the components of German origin for the armored vehicle cannot be sold to third parties without its permission. The Federal Office of Economics and Export Control then ordered the deliveries to be stopped.
Five Guarani were already ready for shipment. The vehicle portion of the contract is estimated at US$47 million (R$243 million). The reporter tried unsuccessfully to contact the German embassy in Brasília and Iveco this Friday afternoon (24th). The army also declined to comment.
According to information from the government’s knowledge of the case, there is still room for negotiation, or German armaments could still be replaced by components from other sources. Many of the electronic fillings and sensors of this custommade Guarani, for example, come from Israel.
- Movements by Zambelli and Tarcísio open fractures in the Bolsonarist base
In January, Folha revealed that Lula had refused to transfer R$25 million of Leopard 1 tank ammunition that Germany had in stock and wanted to send to Kiev, claiming that it was not about Russia in the war to upset.
The position was reiterated by the President to German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz during the European’s visit to Brasília. Brazil is seeking an independent stance, maintaining ties with Moscow and condemning both the invasion, which ended a year this Friday (24), and the draconian sanctions regime the West is imposing on the Russians.
- Bolsonaro mocks Lula’s US clergy
That’s how it was under Jair Bolsonaro (PL), whose government was under investigation to send ammunition for Cheetah antiaircraft tanks, which Berlin Kiev donated and refused. The country imports about 30% of the fertilizer it uses from Russia, and now Lula is trying to sponsor a Moscowlauded proposal to create a group to discuss ending the conflict.