News Feed

Rheinmetall prepared to supply arms for possible Ukraine peacekeeping mission

2 min read
Rheinmetall prepared to supply arms for possible Ukraine peacekeeping mission
Armin Papperger, CEO of the German weapons producer Rheinmetall, addresses a virtual press conference at the company's headquarters in Duesseldorf, Germany, on March 14, 2024. (Ina Fassbender / Getty Images)

German defense company Rheinmetall is prepared to supply weapons for a potential international peacekeeping mission in Ukraine following the end of Russia’s war, the company's CEO, Armin Papperger, said on March 12, Deutsche Welle reported.

Papperger said that Rheinmetall could provide "more than 2,000 items" for such a mission, including tanks, armored vehicles, electronic warfare systems, reconnaissance drones, and satellite technology for monitoring a demarcation line.

Several European countries, including the U.K., France, Denmark, and Sweden, have previously expressed willingness to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine. The Washington Post reported on Feb. 17 that up to 30,000 European troops could be involved in the ceasefire monitoring mission.

Papperger noted that the talks remain theoretical for now, with no concrete negotiations underway with the company.

While U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Feb. 24 that Russian President Vladimir Putin would allow European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a peace deal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has rejected the idea.

Rheinmetall is one of Europe’s largest arms manufacturers and a key supplier to Ukraine. Under German government contracts, it delivers 155 mm artillery rounds, Leopard 1 tanks, mortar shells, and surveillance drones.

The company also opened a military vehicle repair facility in Ukraine in June 2024 and plans to build three additional plants in the country.

Avatar
Tim Zadorozhnyy

Reporter

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. He studied International Relations and European Studies at Lazarski University and Coventry University. Tim began his journalism career in Odesa in 2022 as a reporter for a local television channel. He later spent a year and a half at the Belarusian independent media outlet NEXTA, first as a news anchor and later as a managing editor. He is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

Read more
News Feed

Russia occupied and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. In recent months, Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted power substations, bridges, ferry crossings, air defenses, military logistics routes, and Russian vessels in the Black and Azov seas as part of a broader campaign to isolate Crimea.

Show More