“We will welcome the opening of the German factory in Ukraine with a salvo of Kalibr missiles.” With that phrase, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev responded to what he described as a German intention to open a factory in Kiev.
Medvedev pledged to respond strongly to the intention of Rheinmetall, the manufacturer of “Leopard” tanks, to open a branch in Kiev, considering that this step is an indication of the continued escalation by the Ukrainian authorities.
We are waiting anxiously
And he added, in a tweet on his Telegram account today, Saturday: “If the Germans decide to build the factory on the ground, although they seem to be pragmatic people, we are waiting to welcome their project with great impatience.”
In the same context, the head of the International Affairs Committee in the Russian Federation Council, Grigory Karasin, considered that the construction of a large arms factory belonging to Rheinmetall in Ukraine indicates Germany and NATO’s tendency to escalate the Ukrainian crisis, rather than resolving it.
Leopard tanks (Reuters – archive)
He also stressed that his country will discuss mechanisms to confront the scenario of NATO expansion towards the Russian borders, noting that the construction of the German factory is a strong blow to those wishing to achieve calm, peace and stability in the European continent.
These statements came in response to the announcement by the CEO of the German company Rheinmetall for defense industries, Armin Babberger, Germany’s intention to build a factory for the production of “Leopard” tanks in Ukraine at a value of 200 million euros, indicating that the factory will produce up to 400 tanks of the “Leopard” model annually.
Germany had pledged to support the Ukrainian forces with modern Leopard 2 tanks, after months of hesitation and several European criticisms, but Berlin feared a shortage in its defense stocks with taking that step.
