Arms deliveries - Record arms exports of around 12.2 billion euros in 2023
With arms export licenses worth around 12.2 billion euros in 2023, the German government has set a new record. This is according to a statement published in Berlin by the Federal Ministry of Economics. The main recipient country is Ukraine with 4.44 billion euros. 6.44 billion of the approvals were for war weapons and 5.76 billion euros for other military equipment - this category includes armored vehicles, for example.
The new high was already announced in December, but was based on provisional figures that did not include the second half of December. The previous high of 9.35 billion euros was reached in 2021, the new record is 30 percent higher.
"The continuous German support for Ukraine in its self-defense against the Russian war of aggression, which violates international law, serves to secure the global peace order," explained State Secretary Sven Giegold (Greens). Norway accounted for the second-highest number of permits. This shows that the German government is sticking to its restrictive basic policy, according to which the issue of human rights is of particular importance. "The record demand for German armaments from our democratic partner countries is an expression of an increased need for military security, for which Russia's aggression bears the overwhelming responsibility."
Around 89 percent of the approved export value, or 10.84 billion euros, relates to EU and NATO states or countries that are equivalent to NATO members - this group includes Japan, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand - as well as South Korea, Singapore and Ukraine.
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Source: www.stern.de
