The German company Rheinmetall wants to negotiate with the Kyiv authorities on the production in Ukraine not only of Panther tanks, but also of military transport vehicles, air defense systems and ammunition.
Armin Papberger, head of the defense-industry company, told the Welt newspaper that decisions on the matter would be made in the next few weeks.
He noted that the defense industry of Ukraine will be transferred to work in accordance with NATO standards.
Papberger believes after talks with Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine wants to maintain its independence in the long term, and “this in turn involves the construction of joint factories for the production of weapons and military equipment to replace companies for the production of equipment dating back to the Soviet era.”
“In the medium and long term, we will give Ukraine the opportunity to defend itself,” Papberger said.
Paperger said last March that his company was in talks with the Kiev authorities to build a plant in Ukraine that could produce up to 400 of the latest Panther tanks annually, and noted that the cost of the plant would be about 200 million euros.
Source: TASS