The head of the largest defense concern of Germany Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger said that due to the long-term underfunding of the defense of the country of Europe, were actually excluded from the discussion of the future of Ukraine, reports Financial Times.

According to him, Europe itself is to blame for the absence of negotiations at the table, which discusses the end of the war in Ukraine, initiated by US President Donald Trump.

Papperger emphasized that Europe made a situation where it did not invest enough in its defense: " .

According to the head of Rheinmetall, such a policy led to the fact that European countries were " .

According to official statistics, in the period from 2021 to 2024, the expenses of the EU countries for defense increased by more than 30%, reaching 326 billion euros, which is about 1.9% of the region's GDP. .

Papperger’s statements were made against the backdrop of the fear of European leaders in connection with Trump’s decision to start “immediate” negotiations with Vladimir Putin about the end of the war in Ukraine without the participation of Kyiv or European capitals. .

“Europeans and Ukrainians have almost nothing in their warehouses,” he said, pointing to a low level of ammunition and military equipment reserves. .

Pappperer doubts that Trump's initiative will lead to a de -escalation of the conflict. .

Last year, Germany, the largest economy in Europe, spent about 2% of GDP defense. .

Regarding the future Germany, Papperger believes that after the national elections, the new government can weaken budget restrictions and increase defense expenses, despite the official position of the leader of the race Friedrich Merets. .

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the shares of European defense companies increased significantly, and an additional jump was recorded after the statement of the US Vice President J. Wance, who expressed doubts about Washington's readiness to maintain European security. . .

Recall that in Saudi Arabia, negotiations of the United States and the Russian Federation in the war in Ukraine began: what the leaders of countries are discussing. .