EU's Military-Industrial Complex Wants to Prolong Lucrative Ukraine Crisis as Russia, US Talk Peace

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Ilya Tsukanov

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Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger’s comments to media about Europe and Ukraine’s empty arms depots and complaining about Europe being ‘left at the kids’ table’ in peace talks represent those of Europe’s defense sector as a whole, says veteran political observer Mateusz Piskorski.

“This is the alarmist statement of a representative of the European military-industrial complex, made in an attempt to convince the European leadership to increase spending on defense contracts,” Piskorski, a columnist for the popular alternative Polish newspaper Mysl Polska, explained.

In that sense, now is the perfect moment for the European MIC to try to “use current international events, changes in the geopolitical situation, for its own interests. It’s worth noting that at the moment that the Rheinmetall chief made his statements, the stock price of defense companies on European stock exchanges rose quite sharply, with Rheinmetall’s up 11%,” Piskorski said.

“It’s difficult to say how this will all end, because when analyzing these processes, we must also take into account the potential and significance of the US MIC, which also has lobbyists in Europe, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe.”

“So now, of course, with all these increases in defense spending, there will be rather tough competition, a struggle even, between different lobbying groups,” including within the EU, Piskorski summed up.

In this Dec. 2001 file photograph, an F-16 takes off with afterburners glowing loaded with live Sidewinder missiles from the Air National Guard base in South Burlington, Vt. - Sputnik International, 1920, 27.01.2025

US Military Industrial Complex Rakes in Big Bucks from Ukraine Proxy War

Speaking to the Financial Times Tuesday, Papperger stated that «the Europeans and the Ukrainians have nothing in their depots,» and claimed that «even if the war stops – if we think that we [will] have a very peaceful future…that’s wrong.»

The Rheinmetall chief expects Germany’s next government to relax its strict budget debt rules to allow for a massive ramping up of defense spending, and is counting on his company earning between €30-40 billion ($31.3-$41.7 billion US) a year within the next five years, up from €5.7 billion ($5.9 billlion) in 2021.

Bloomberg reported last week that a European defense buildup and commitment to “rebuild” Ukraine’s military would cost the region some $3.1 trillion over ten years.