Germany almost repeats 2021 record for arms export Over quarter delivered to Ukraine

Germany’s federal government approved arms exports for at least €8.35 billion ($8.9 billion) this year.

This is already the second-highest value in the history of the Federal Republic, as reported by European Integration.

Only in 2021 this number was higher, with total exports having reached a value of €9.35 billion ($9.9 billion).

More than a quarter of the weapons and military equipment were delivered from January 1 to December 22 to Ukraine, according to the leftist Member of Parliament Sevim Dagdelen. 

In the coalition negotiations, at the urging of the SPD and the Greens, the traffic light government had actually planned to reduce arms exports, but with the war in Ukraine a U-turn was made.

The self-imposed ban on arms deliveries to war zones was quashed by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in his “Zeitenwende” speech on February 27 – a break with principles that have been in place for decades.

Since then, armaments supplies worth €2.24 billion ($2.4 billion) have been approved for Ukraine. However, the high overall value of export licenses is not solely due to this. Even without Ukraine, exports worth more than €6 billion ($6.4 billion) were approved. For comparison: in the 16 years of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s (CDU) government, the six billion mark was exceeded only five times.

The left politician Dagdelen sharply criticised the high overall value: “The SPD cabinet, FDP and Greens are responsible for the second highest exports of weapons and war equipment of all time. Instead of restricting arms exports as promised, the traffic light unscrupulously delivers arms to war and crisis zones and benefits from conflicts and deaths”.