Europe Left at the Kids' Table in Ukraine Talks, Says Rheinmetall Chief

The CEO of Germany’s largest defense concern Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, has noted that decades of underinvestment in defense have left European nations “at the kids’ table” in discussions about Ukraine’s future.

“If you don’t invest, if you’re not strong, they handle you like kids. It was very convenient for the Europeans over the last 30 years to say, OK, spend 1 percent [of GDP on defense], it’s fine,” Papperger said in a commentary to The Financial Times.

The Chief added that if parents have dinner, the kids have to sit at another table.

“The U.S. is negotiating with Russia and no European is at the table—it has become very clear that the Europeans are the kids,” he added.

Papperger, who was reportedly the target of a foiled Russian assassination plot last year, expressed skepticism that Trump’s peace talks would compel Russia to “stop firing.”

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, stated that while Europe would be consulted, it would not be directly involved in the peace negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.