- Chile’s foreign minister stated that national law prohibits sending weapons to countries involved in active conflict, amid reports of a potential Marder 1A3 transfer to Germany.
- El Mostrador reported that 30 Chilean Marder vehicles may be secretly transferred to Germany for delivery to Ukraine.
Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, reaffirmed on Sunday that the country’s laws prohibit the transfer of military equipment to nations involved in active armed conflict, responding to reports that Chile may have agreed to supply Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles to Germany for eventual delivery to Ukraine.
Van Klaveren did not explicitly deny the existence of the deal, but said Chile’s neutrality policy on the Ukraine war remains unchanged.
In statements to Infogate, he said, “We cannot refer to the purchase or sale of military items,” but emphasized that “there is a Chilean regulation that prohibits the supply of weapons to countries that are in active conflict. Therefore, no operation can violate that general rule.”
His comments follow an investigative report from El Mostrador, which revealed that the Chilean Army may be preparing to transfer 30 Marder 1A3 vehicles to Germany, which would then upgrade and send them to Ukraine. The article claims the transaction is being conducted in strict secrecy and could represent a shift in Chile’s longstanding neutral position.
The Chilean Ministry of National Defense declined to comment, but notably did not deny that the operation is underway.
When asked directly whether Chile might enable an indirect transfer by first delivering the vehicles to Germany, Van Klaveren said, “What is clear is that there cannot be Chilean weaponry in the theater of conflict in Ukraine, or anywhere else.”
He added that “it is not possible to imagine the sale of arms to Ukraine, even though we, politically, fully condemn what has been the invasion of Ukraine.”
The issue has raised concerns within Chile’s defense establishment, especially given that the vehicles in question are part of an active modernization program intended to keep them in frontline service.
Chile first acquired the Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles from Germany in 2008. The original transfer included around 270 units. Under the Centurión project, 180 of those were refurbished and deployed to Chile’s armored infantry battalions, while additional vehicles were retained for parts and reserve use.
The Marder 1A3 remains the primary tracked vehicle of the 1st Armored Brigade “Coraceros,” 2nd Armored Brigade “Cazadores,” and 3rd Armored Brigade “La Concepción.” According to Infodefensa.com, these vehicles are currently being upgraded under the Proaco program by Fábricas y Maestranzas del Ejército (FAMAE), Chile’s state-run military production entity.