Ukraine wants to quickly maintain and repair German tanks from the arms company Rheinmetall in the country. The first workshop for this has now been opened.
According to information from Kiev, the German arms company Rheinmetall and Ukraine have opened their first joint tank repair shop and production facility. The keys to the workshop for the repair and maintenance of the Marder infantry fighting vehicle have been handed over, the Ukrainian Ministry for Strategic Industries announced in Kiev on Monday. “The opening of a joint production facility with Rheinmetall is not only a step towards Ukraine’s victory, but also an important stage in building the arsenal of the free world,” said Minister Olexandr Kamyshin in a statement.
In a photo published by the ministry, Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger could also be seen wearing a bulletproof vest. In May last year, Rheinmetall had already founded a joint venture with the Ukrainian arms company Ukroboronprom for the repair and maintenance of armored vehicles in Ukraine.
Rheinmetall wants to expand cooperation with Ukraine
According to the Kyiv Defense Ministry, the first joint service center will enable quick repair and maintenance of German equipment directly in Ukraine, which has been resisting the Russian war of aggression for more than two years. This should significantly increase the efficiency of the armed forces. Ukrainian specialists work at the joint production facility, while representatives of the German company will provide technical supervision, according to a statement.
“It is very important for us to support Ukraine efficiently and reliably,” Papperger said, according to the Ukrainian statement. Spare parts should be delivered quickly. According to an earlier Rheinmetall statement, the cooperation is to be expanded to include the joint production of selected products from the German group in Ukraine.
“The joint venture will be active in the areas of service and maintenance, assembly, production and development of military vehicles and will initially be exclusively active on Ukrainian territory,” Rheinmetall announced last year. With the support of Western arms companies, Ukraine wants to become one of the world’s leading weapons producers in the future.
Source: Stern
