Rheinmetall warehouses full of weapons for Ukraine, but orders blocked due to lack of funds

The head of the German defense concern Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, has announced a critical delay in the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Despite the availability of finished products in the company's warehouses, Kyiv cannot buy them due to the lack of access to financial assistance from the European Union. Papperger said this in a commentary for DW.

According to the head of the concern, the main problem is bureaucratic and political obstacles within the EU. We are talking about a loan package of EUR 90 billion, of which about EUR 60 billion is earmarked for ammunition and military equipment. This resource is currently unavailable.

"Now I have artillery ammunition in my warehouses that I cannot sell to Ukraine because there are no orders placed due to lack of access to money," Papperger emphasized.

The situation is complicated by the position of Hungary, which is blocking the allocation of funds amid disputes over the transit of russian oil.

In particular, the delay affected the latest FV-014 Raider barrage munitions, which have a range of up to 100 km and a five-kilogram warhead. Rheinmetall is ready to supply Ukraine with the first batch of 200 such drones, but the problem of financing is again standing in the way.

At the same time, Germany is looking for alternative ways to support Ukraine. Recently, during a visit to Kyiv, the President of the Bundestag announced the allocation of an additional EUR 200 million specifically for the purchase of reconnaissance drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the European Parliament approved a loan for Ukraine for EUR 90 billion, of which EUR 60 billion is for defense needs.