Rheinmetall has established a joint venture with the Ukrainian state-owned conglomerate Ukroboronprom to build and repair tanks in Ukraine, Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Friday, citing the general director of the German arms manufacturer, Reuters reports.
“The contracts have been signed,” Executive Director Armin Papperger told Handelsblatt, adding that the cooperation will concern the maintenance and repair of armored vehicles in Ukraine, while the construction of tanks will be prepared in parallel.
Rheinmetall will hold a majority stake of 51 percent in the new company and provide management, Handelsblatt added.
According to Handelsblatt, the German company expects to sign contracts in the coming days for two more joint ventures – for ammunition and air defense.
“Ukraine will benefit from comprehensive technology transfer as well as short-term supplies of military equipment from Germany,” Papperger told Handelsblatt.
The publication quotes the words of the head of “Ukroboronprom” Yury Gusev, who welcomes Rheinmetall’s readiness to support Ukraine in the fight against Russia.
In this way, a series of discussions with Ukrainian officials regarding the construction of a tank plant in Ukraine would be formalized and specified.
This statement has already angered the vice president of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev.
Papperger previously said that Ukraine needs 600 to 800 tanks to defeat Russian forces, so new tanks must be produced quickly, Papperger said, as quoted by AFP. “Even if Germany provided (Ukraine) 300 Leopard 2 tanks to the Bundeswehr, this would clearly not be enough.”
Rheinmetall has seen an increase in defense spending since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, and Germany has also provided aid and weapons to Kiev to help repel Russian forces.
Rheinmetall produces ammunition, other military equipment, as well as Leopard tanks, which Germany decided to send to Ukraine, which the company produces together with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.
It will be recalled that at the beginning of April, the German arms manufacturer announced that it is building a maintenance center for Western weapons used by Ukraine in the war with Russia in Satu Mare.
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Source: Hot News
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