While the US government is scaling back its military aid to Ukraine, and even halting previously promised arms shipments, the German government is intensifying its military cooperation with Kiev.

This was the central aim of Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s (Christian Democrat, CDU) inaugural visit to Kiev this past Monday. Wadephul was accompanied by “high-ranking representatives of German arms companies,” who reportedly even participated at times in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The names of the participating corporate executives are being carefully withheld, and details of the arms deals remain undisclosed. Given growing public opposition to militarization, the weapons cooperation is evidently intended to proceed as quietly as possible, behind the backs of the public. It is already well known, however, that the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall operates a tank factory in western Ukraine. Its CEO, Armin Papperger, has made repeated public appearances in Kiev.

Which other arms and industrial companies were represented, and by whom? Could it be that Sigmar Gabriel was also part of the delegation—the former Social Democratic Party (SPD) minister who now sits on the supervisory board of Rheinmetall and serves as chairman of the Atlantik-Brücke (Atlantic Bridge)?

VW recently announced plans to “enter the arms business” and has initiated a collaboration with Rheinmetall to convert its Osnabrück plant for military vehicle production. Furthermore, the Bombardier plant in Görlitz—traditionally involved in railway carriage construction and taken over by Alstom in 2021—has been sold to arms manufacturer KNDS. The IG Metall union has actively supported all these deals.

Rheinmetall intends to further expand its activities in Ukraine. Until now, the company has maintained and repaired German infantry fighting vehicles—such as the Marder—at the joint venture it operates with the Ukrainian defence industry in western Ukraine. In the future, it will also begin assembling and producing new tanks there, especially the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle.

The fact is, with the partial withdrawal of the United States, Germany has become Ukraine’s most important trading and military partner. At the same time, the war-ravaged country is increasingly being swallowed up by Germany. Its rich natural resources, strategic location, and above all, its cheap labour, are once again to benefit German capital. According to auditing firm KPMG, monthly personnel costs per worker in Ukraine amount to only €367 gross—compared to an average of €4,400 in Germany.

Wadephul’s delegation reportedly initiated up to 20 projects, partnerships and joint ventures. The minister is also said to have guaranteed the installation of a total of 16 IRIS-T air defence systems, six of which have been set up since April.

The German government—comprised of the CDU/CSU and SPD under Chancellor Friedrich Merz—is pushing not only to supply German weapons systems to Ukraine, but increasingly to utilize low-cost Ukrainian production directly. This is the purpose of the deceitful propaganda portraying Ukraine as a “bastion of freedom” bravely resisting the authoritarian Russian aggressor. In Kiev, Wadephul declared: “The freedom and future of Ukraine is the most important task of our foreign and security policy.”

That the Zelensky regime has nothing to do with “freedom” is demonstrated by the fact that Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, has held 26-year-old socialist Bogdan Syrotiuk in prison for over 14 months, along with numerous other political prisoners. Accused of “high treason,” Syrotiuk’s only “crime” was to oppose the war and advocate unity between Ukrainian and Russian workers.

The German government and EU claim they “stand firmly by Kiev’s side,” according to the Foreign Ministry website. Following the NATO summit in The Hague, the German government affirmed: “We will continue to support Ukraine in all areas—especially militarily. Germany’s support is effective—whether it is self-propelled howitzers, the IRIS-T air defence system, or water purification systems.”

In Kiev, Wadephul stressed: “Our arms cooperation is a real trump card. It is a logical continuation of our material deliveries, and both sides can even profit from it.”

His trip was not announced in advance “for security reasons.” At Kiev’s train station, he was received by Germany’s ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Jäger, who previously served as ambassador to Iraq and is now expected to become the next head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, the BND.

Wadephul and his economic delegation also visited the port of Odessa, where they were given a tour of the port facility and briefed on the local situation by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Germany has backed the largest cargo terminal in Odessa with federal guarantees—meaning that German taxpayers will cover any war-related damages. After arms technology, the port of Odessa represents Germany’s second-largest investment in Ukraine. Support for air defence in the area is to be strengthened to keep the port operational despite the war.

On Tuesday, Wadephul continued on to Moldova. Regarding this small country, surrounded on three sides by Ukraine, Germany has clear intentions of integrating Moldova into the EU and NATO, thereby tightening the ring around Russia’s western border.

The NATO military buildup along Russia’s western flank is advancing rapidly. It is drawing Europe ever closer to a war with Russia—one that could plunge the entire continent into nuclear catastrophe.

In Lithuania, the German army has already stationed a permanent combat brigade—a direct and dangerous provocation against Russia. A fully equipped force of 5,000 soldiers, complete with tanks and heavy weaponry, now stands just a few hundred kilometres from the Russian border. This is happening in a country where Hitler’s war of extermination led to the murder of approximately 95 percent of the Jewish population.

Other NATO members are also positioning their troops against Russia. Norway, for example, is in the process of relocating its F-35 fighter jets to Poland. This is said to be necessary to secure the transport of materiel to Ukraine, and according to an official statement, Norway will “within days contribute soldiers, aircraft, and air defences.”

Germany’s arms cooperation with Ukraine is a key driver in imperialist preparations for war against Russia. In February 2024, General Inspector Carsten Breuer—the highest-ranking officer in the German military—declared that he expected a war with Russia “within 5 to 8 years.” He added: “And because I am a soldier, I say: in five years, we must be ready for war.”

Since then, Social Democratic Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has made it his primary task to echo this marching order from the military high command. At every opportunity, he stresses that the goal of the German government is to make Germany “ready for war” again.