Armin Papperger, CEO of German defense and automotive group Rheinmetall, is pictured during a Reuters interview in Duesseldorf, Germany, on Friday, January 27. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the bolstered budget days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “Many people talk about the fact that the defense budget is too low, and I can confirm that,” Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told Reuters this week in a video interview. In the interview, Papperger praised newly appointed German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius for the “absolute record” time it took the two to have a conversation. Rheinmetall would need about a year to prepare another 22 Leopard 2 vehicles that it has in stock, he added.

Source: CNN January 28, 2023 16:31 UTC