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The head of defense in Germany warned of European countries at the children’s table in talks about the future of Ukraine due to contracts of investment in defense.

Armin Babbarger, CEO of Rheinmetall, said that Europe had to take responsibility for US President Donald Trump’s negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

“If you don’t invest, if you are not strong, they are dealing with you like children,” he told the Financial Times. “It has been very comfortable for Europeans over the past thirty years, well, spending 1 percent [of GDP on defence]decent “.

Babbarger said that the result of this position was that the Europeans were similar to children at a separate table, while the United States and Russia participated in discussions about the future of Ukraine.

“If parents have dinner, children must sit at another table,” he said. He added on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference: “The United States is negotiating with Russia and there is no European on the table – it has become very clear that the Europeans are children,” he added on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Between 2021 and 2024, the total defensive spending of the European Union countries increased by more than 30 percent to an estimated 326 billion euros, about 1.9 percent of the GDP of the mass, according to official data.

Trump highly pressure on NATO members to increase their defensive spending to up to 5 percent of GDP.

Babbarger was talking to the survival of European leaders Trump’s decision to contact Vladimir Putin To start “immediate” negotiations on a deal to end the war in Ukraine without consulting Europe or Kiev.

With European leaders struggle with how to ensure the security of the continent after the US threats to reduce its support significantly, Executive Director of the explicit defense He said that the demand for weapons in the region will remain strong even in the event of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

He said, “The Europeans and the Ukrainians have nothing in their warehouses,” referring to low inventories of weapons held on the continent.

The price of Rheinmetall, which has almost decreased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, decreased at first after the announcement of Trump’s peace talks plan last week.

But European Defense shares, including Rheinmetall, have since increased, as investors are betting that governments in the region will have to increase military spending significantly in response to the increasing fears of the United States’ retreat from its decades -long role as a guarantor of the continent’s security.

Babberger, who is believed to have been a goal Assassination plot Written by Russia last year, it was suspected that Trump’s peace talks will actually lead to “stopping the shooting.”

He said that his company will benefit even if there is a ceasefire because Europe will continue to invest in weapons because it faces the threat of Russian aggression.

“Even if the war is [in Ukraine] It stops – if we think we have a very peaceful future, I think this is a mistake. “

Germany, the largest economy in Europe, spent about 2 percent of GDP of defense last year. NATO Secretary -General Mark Roti said that the goal of the coalition should rise to “more than 3 percent.”

Papberger said that after the elections worldwide on Sunday, it was expected that the next German government would relax quickly to quickly enable more defensive spending, although the election candidates Friedrich Mirz were officially committed to keeping it in place.

“I personally think this will happen, and that will happen immediately,” he said.

The shares in European defense groups have risen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and received another Enhance On Monday, after US Vice President JD VANCE, during the weekend to Washington’s commitment to ensuring the continent’s security.

Rheinmetall was one of the largest beneficiaries of the growing global insecurity. Babberger told FT that he expects annual sales of 30 billion euros to 40 billion euros during the next five years – a sharp increase of 5.7 billion euros that the company mentioned in 2021, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.