The German armaments group announced on Monday that it would open a military logistics center near the Ukrainian border in April.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 4/3/2023 at 3:53 PM, updated 4/3/2023 at 4:16 PM
This content is not accessible to all.
Rheinmetall Bae Systems Land (RBSL) welding shop in Telford, Britain March 27, 2023. MOLLY DARLINGTON/ Portal
The German arms group Rheinmetall plans to open a maintenance center for the Ukrainian army’s weapons in Romania later in April to help it fend off the Russian invasion war, the company indicated Monday. “Rheinmetall is working hard to set up a military maintenance and logistics center in Romania,” a spokesman for the group from Düsseldorf, Germany, told AFP, a NATO member country. Work has already started on the site near the town of Satu Mare (Northern Romania), close to the Ukrainian border.
This center, set to open in April, is expected to “play a pivotal role in maintaining the operational readiness of Western combat systems deployed in Ukraine and in ensuring their logistical support,” the source adds.
This content is not accessible to all.
“Very intensive” cooperation
Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed this announcement and the location of the site during a visit to Bucharest. “It is necessary that this repair takes place outside of Ukraine, but close to the border,” he stressed. “Our cooperation in support of Ukraine is very, very intense,” the chairman added during a press conference along with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. “We are always examining how we, as Europeans and allied NATO members, can advance our common cause.”
These maintenance operations concern the self-propelled howitzers recently delivered to Ukraine, as well as the Leopard 2 main battle tanks, of which Germany delivered 18 units to Kiev last week, and the British Challengers. There are also armored personnel carriers such as the Marder or the Fox and other military trucks. NATO combat vehicles could also benefit from maintenance work there.
” READ ALSO – Rheinmetall, the German tank manufacturer, rehabilitated on the stock exchange
Offer the best possible support
“It is very important to us at Rheinmetall to provide the best possible support for the NATO forces and Ukraine in this critical situation,” said Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger, quoting the company. The group is also in talks with Kiev about building a tank factory in Ukraine, which the country needs to repel the Russian invasion, its president had hinted at in early March.
Rheinmetall and another German armaments group, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), opened a comparable maintenance center in Jonava, Lithuania, for combat vehicles of the Lithuanian armed forces and other NATO forces stationed in the Baltic States.