German arms exports surge to $8.04 billion in first half of 2024

DW carries an article about Germany's arms exports which reached 7.48 billion euros in the first half of 2024, driven by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and increased sales to Saudi Arabia, Caliber.Az reprints the article.

Germany's arms exports have soared to 7.48 billion euros ($8.04 billion) in the first half of 2024, marking a 30 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, according to data published by the Economy Ministry. This surge is attributed primarily to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and increased sales to Saudi Arabia.

The German government approved weapons exports worth at least 7.48 billion euros ($8.01 billion) between January 1 and June 18. By mid-June, exports had already reached 60 per cent of the total for 2023, suggesting that the year's total could set a new record if the trend continues. Last year, Germany's arms exports hit an all-time high of 12.2 billion euros, driven largely by commitments to support Ukraine against Russia's full-scale invasion.

In 2023, Germany issued export licenses totaling 6.44 billion euros for war weapons and 5.76 billion euros for other military equipment, including armored vehicles. Despite Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government initially promising to curb arms deliveries, especially to non-European Union and NATO countries, the invasion of Ukraine led to a shift in policy.

Nearly two-thirds of Germany's arms exports in the first half of this year were destined for Ukraine, amounting to a record 4.88 billion euros. During the first year of the conflict, Berlin approved arms deliveries to Kyiv worth 2.24 billion euros, including air defense systems and heavy artillery. In 2023, export permits to Ukraine increased to 4.4 billion euros, reflecting commitments such as the delivery of Leopard 2 battle tanks.

Germany has become the second-largest arms supplier to Ukraine, following the United States. Since the war began in February 2022, Germany has committed 10.2 billion euros in military aid to Kyiv, according to the Ukraine Support Tracker from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), though not all of this aid is in the form of weapons exports.

This increase in arms exports underscores the significant impact of global conflicts on Germany's defense industry, highlighting the balance between domestic policy promises and international defense commitments.