Rheinmetall has ammunition for Ukraine, but no funds to purchase it
Kyiv • UNN
The CEO of Rheinmetall stated that shells are available in warehouses due to a lack of funding. Hungary and Slovakia are blocking an EU loan for arms procurement.
German defense concern Rheinmetall stated that it has ammunition in its warehouses that could be transferred to Ukraine, but deliveries are delayed due to lack of funding. This was reported by the company's CEO Armin Papperger in an interview with DW, writes UNN.
Details
According to him, the company continues to produce weapons for Ukraine, but some of the products cannot be sold at the moment.
We continue to produce most of the products for Ukraine. For example, I currently have artillery ammunition in my warehouses that I cannot sell to Ukraine.
Funding blocked in the EU
He named the delay in approving the EU's 90 billion euro loan to support Ukraine as the main reason for the situation. Its adoption is blocked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who demands the resumption of the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also stated that he is ready to continue blocking aid if Orbán loses power.
The European Union is considering an alternative financing option. In particular, the Baltic and Northern European countries can provide Ukraine with bilateral loans totaling about 30 billion euros, which will not require the approval of all EU states.
Rheinmetall emphasizes that the company is capable of supplying Ukraine with significantly more weapons – from ammunition to air defense systems and armored vehicles – but currently the main problem is the lack of funds for procurement.