Armin Papperger, the chairman of the board of directors of one of the largest European arms manufacturers, the German giant Rheinmetall, warned that Europe would need 10 years to replenish its ammunition in the conditions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the BBC reports.

Papperger made the warning during a ceremony to pour concrete for a plant Rheinmetall is building in Lower Saxony, which was also attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, his Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

The head of Rheinmetall said Germany and Europe would need a “long period” to prepare for “an aggressor who wants to fight NATO”.

“We’re fine in 3-4 years, but we need 10 years to be really ready,” he warned, adding that “we need to produce 1.5 million munitions in Europe.”

The head of Rheinmetall warns that Europe should arm itself by helping Ukraine

The New York Times, in a major story published last September based on statements from Ukrainian and European security officials, noted that Russia was on track to produce an annual capacity of two million rounds, double its capacity before the war in Ukraine.

Papperger now claims that Europe’s arms stockpile is being depleted as huge amounts of ammunition are sent to Ukraine.

“While we have this war, we must help Ukraine, but then we will need at least 5 years and 10 years to really fill [depozitele de muniții]”, he assessed at the event, which took place almost two years after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the “Zeitenwende” – a turning point in Berlin’s foreign and defense policy after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Despite Scholz’s firm commitment to increasing military spending at the time, Germany is still among the NATO countries that have not joined the commitment to allocate the equivalent of 2% of GDP to defense.

Scholz’s government has given new assurances that it will meet the target in 2024, but the German press has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the claims of officials in Berlin.

“Europeans are not able to defend themselves without the support of the USA”

The comments from the boss of Rheinmetall in Lower Saxony, where the arms maker is investing more than $300 million in a plant it says will have an annual production capacity of 200,000 artillery shells, came after numerous European military and security officials warned in recent months of the dangers military conflict with Russia.

Even German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius talked about the possibility in comments last month. This Saturday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in turn, warned that European countries should increase arms production to increase supplies to Ukraine and prevent a confrontation with Russia “that could last for decades.”

Dr. Claudia Major of the German Institute for International Affairs and Security Affairs told the BBC that Europe has indeed started to invest more in its defense since the start of the war in Ukraine.

“But frankly, we know that at this point the Europeans are not capable of defending themselves in a conventional conflict without the support of the United States,” she says.

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