Europe sidelined in Ukraine peace talks due to defense gaps
The CEO of Germany's largest defense company, Rheinmetall, sharply criticized the exclusion of Europe 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 heavily involved in assisting 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 is very important 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 defense companies that decided to open plants 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 armored personnel carrier TPz 1 Fuchs.
The role of Rheinmetall in arming Ukraine is evident in the company's profits. In 2021, they amounted to approximately $6 billion. In the following years, after the Russian aggression, they rose between $32 billion and $43 billion.
Weapons stockpiles in Europe have emptied
In an interview with the Financial Times, Armin Papperger noted that weapons stockpiles in Europe are almost depleted, which is why the countries of the Old Continent found themselves on the sidelines of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. In his view, no one counts on the opinion of the weak.
According to the CEO of Rheinmetall, for years, European governments were comfortable spending very little on defense (in some cases, even only one percent of GDP). However, this has led to huge neglect, which cannot be corrected quickly.
Large differences in NATO countries' approach to defense
The Financial Times noted that between 2021 and 2024, European Union member states increased defense 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 defense.
Currently, only Poland and a few other Baltic countries are close to that goal. Lithuania's government decided that in 2026-2030, defense spending should reach as high as 5-6% of GDP. However, there are still countries far from such values. For example, in 2024, Spain spent only 1.3% of GDP on defense.
