Rheinmetall CEO criticizes Europe's marginalized role in Ukraine peace talks
The CEO of Germany's largest defence company, Rheinmetall, sharply criticised Europe's exclusion from negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. In his opinion, the countries of the Old Continent are to blame themselves because their weapons stockpiles are mostly empty.
Rheinmetall is a company heavily involved in supporting the Ukrainian army. This involvement stems from several key issues. Rheinmetall is one of Germany's largest manufacturers of 155 mm artillery ammunition, which is invaluable to Ukrainians using such shells in the numerous artillery systems that reached the front as part of NATO support.
Rheinmetall is also responsible for the repair and maintenance of various equipment that European countries found in their warehouses and decided to provide to Ukraine. This includes Leopard 1A5 and Leopard 2A4 tanks, as well as infantry fighting vehicles and transporters.
Rheinmetall's vital role for the Ukrainian army
Moreover, in January this year, Rheinmetall delivered the first modern KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicle to Ukraine and is one of the Western defence companies that has decided to open factories in Ukraine—engaging not only in maintenance but also in weapon production. As reported by Łukasz Michalik, WP Tech journalist, German plans include producing not only the KF41 Lynx in Ukraine but also the wheeled armoured personnel carrier TPz 1 Fuchs.
The company's profits demonstrate Rheinmetall's role in arming Ukraine. In 2021, they amounted to approximately £4.9 billion. After the Russian aggression, they reached between £26.3 billion and £35.3 billion in the following years.
Weapons stockpiles in Europe have emptied
In an interview with the Financial Times, Armin Papperger noted that weapons stockpiles in Europe are almost empty, which is why the countries of the Old Continent have been excluded from negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. In his view, nobody counts on the opinion of the weak.
"If you don't invest, if you're not strong, they treat you like children," said Armin Papperger.
According to the CEO of Rheinmetall, European governments were comfortable spending very little on defence for years (in some cases, even one percent of GDP). However, this has led to huge neglect, which cannot be eliminated quickly.
Large differences in NATO countries' approach to defence
The Financial Times noted that between 2021 and 2024, European Union member states increased defence spending by approximately 30%—to 1.9% of the entire EU's GDP. This is still significantly below NATO's expectations, especially those of Donald Trump, who would like the Alliance countries to spend even 5% on defence.
Only Poland and a few other Baltic countries are close to that goal. Lithuania's government decided that in 2026-2030, defence spending should reach as high as 5–6% of GDP. However, some countries are still far from such values. For example, in 2024, Spain spent only 1.3% of its GDP on defence.
