LONDON, April 1. /TASS/. The United States would not come to Europe’s rescue were a large-scale armed conflict to erupt on the continent, Armin Papperger, CEO of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, said in an interview with the Financial Times.

While European leaders have taken it for granted in recent decades that the United States would come to their rescue in case of a military threat, "that will no longer happen," the German business leader emphasized. According to him, the US, where Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been blocking requests by the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden for yet more military aid for Ukraine, has sent a "very clear message," namely that, "we will no longer pay for you."

Europeans should join forces to fund the continent’s defense sector, given the partisan political gridlock in the US, as Washington "focuses more on the Asia-Pacific area than on Europe," Papperger maintained. If the "very risky situation" in the region sparks a full-blown armed conflict, "the US will focus on Asia, and then Europe will be totally alone," he warned.

As Germany’s largest defense contractor, Rheinmetall is among the top three Western corporations for the production of military equipment and ammunition. Since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, the company's stock price has jumped more than five-fold. It supplies air defense systems, tanks, armored personnel carriers and other military equipment to Kiev.