FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Defense stocks such as Rheinmetall and Renk fell back slightly on Monday after their recent record run. Rheinmetall had climbed to 1,744 euros on Friday morning, gaining 183 percent after doubling in 2025. They are currently trading at around 1,620 euros.
The industry is generally benefiting from higher defense spending in Europe in the wake of the 2.0 era. However, it continues to react very sensitively in the short term to news about the war in Ukraine, especially when hopes for progress emerge.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went on the offensive with his offer of talks to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. "I will wait for Putin in Turkey on Thursday, in person," Zelensky said via the X platform. There was no immediate response from the Kremlin to Zelensky's offer of talks or to calls for a ceasefire. Putin had previously proposed resuming direct peace talks in Turkey. /ag/jha/
