Chancellor Scholz is on a state visit to Romania 13 years after Angela Merkel’s visit. Thanks to its long border with Ukraine, Romania has gained new importance in ensuring the security of NATO’s eastern flank. In addition to Schengen, the Republic of Moldova, the energy transition and concern for Ukrainian refugees, there is another reason for the relatively unexpected visit, which is discussed in Welt TV’s analysis.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was received at the Kotrocheny Palace by President Klaus Johannis Photo: Agerpres

The German arms concern Rheinmetall will soon open a weapons service center in Ukraine. “Rheinmetall is working hard to establish a military maintenance and logistics center in Romania, a NATO partner country,” the company said. Work has already begun on the construction site near the city of Satu Mare. The so-called service center should be “commissioned in April 2023.”

The maintenance center should “play a central role in maintaining the combat readiness of Western combat systems used in Ukraine and their logistical support.” Among possible weapons systems, the company named self-propelled howitzers, Leopard 2 main battle tanks, Marder armored vehicles, Fuchs armored vehicles and military trucks.

Combat vehicles of the NATO armed forces and their logistics vehicles will continue to be looked after there,” the message reads. This will provide “shorter response times and better security in the supply chain” for armed forces on NATO’s eastern flank.

“For us at Rheinmetall, it is a key challenge to provide the armed forces of NATO and Ukraine with the best possible support in this critical situation,” said Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger. “The greatest demands are currently being made on people and materials. When it comes to equipment, we at Rheinmetall want to do everything in our power to ensure that soldiers always have reliable equipment.”

In June 2022, Rheinmetall, together with its partner company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), established a similar maintenance center in Jonava, Lithuania. The maintenance of combat vehicles of the Lithuanian forces and other NATO forces stationed in the Baltic states is carried out there.