German arms exports surge with deliveries to Kiev, Riyadh

Finished HK416 assault rifles are lined up in the production hall of arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch in Oberndorf. German arms exports have reached a new record level for the second year in a row, mostly due to continued and growing military aid for Ukraine, according to the Economy Ministry. | – Photo: Bernd Weiflbrod/dpa/28 February 2022, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Oberndorf

By Michael Fischer, dpa

Berlin (dpa) – German arms exports have reached a new record level for the second year in a row, mostly due to continued and growing military aid for Ukraine, according to the Economy Ministry.

Between January 01, 2024 and June 18, 2024, the German government approved a total of weapons exports worth at least EUR 7.48 billion (USD 8.01 billion), up 30 percent from the first half of last year, the ministry revealed in response to a query by lawmaker Sevim Dağdelen from the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance.

Some 65 percent of the exports, worth EUR 4.88 billion, were destined for Ukraine to support the country in its fight against Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion launched more than two years ago.

In 2023, the German government set a new record for arms exports, according to official figures, authorizing sales worth EUR 12.2 billion mainly due to assistance sent to Ukraine.

This year saw Saudi Arabia returning to the top five weapons importers in several years, after Berlin largely halted arms exports to the rich Gulf state over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as well as Riyadh’s involvement in the civil war raging in Yemen.

Khashoggi was brutally killed in the Saudi consulate general in Istanbul by a hit squad.

Berlin has since eased its restrictions on weapons exports to Saudi Arabia again, after the Saudi kingdom withdrew from hostilities in Yemen.

According to the Economy Ministry, Berlin has granted arms sales worth EUR 132.48 million to the country so far this year.

The ministry stressed, however, that the authorizations were granted exclusively for or in connection with joint projects with other EU or NATO partners.

The remaining top five recipients of German weapons exports are Singapore (EUR 1.21 billion), India (EUR 153.75 million) and Qatar (EUR 100 million).

Lawmaker Dağdelen condemned the continued rise in weapons sales. “The massive increase in arms exports to war and crisis zones, not only to Ukraine but also to countries such as Saudi Arabia, is irresponsible,” she said.

Also read: Germany clears arms sales to Saudi Arabia — for Israel