Ukraine will remain by far the largest recipient of German armaments in 2024 and has even increased its share significantly. This was revealed today by preliminary arms export figures for the current year published by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
According to the report, between the 1st of January and the 17th of December, Germany has approved the export of around €13.2 billion worth of armaments destined for countries across the globe. With around €8.13 billion, around 62% of these exports were destined for Ukraine alone.
The most important recipient of armaments after Ukraine is Singapore with €1.21 billion, followed by Algeria and the USA with €558.71 million and €298.51 million respectively.
The today published figures also mean that the previous record from 2023 lasted only a single year and has been beaten by far. Last year, approved arms exports to Ukraine amounted to around €4.43 billion.
As already mentioned, Ukraine massively increased its share of the pie in relation to the total volume of exports.
Although total approved arms exports “only” increased by around €1 billion compared to the previous year, approved arms exports to Ukraine rose by a bit more than €3.7 billion, which can be explained by this year’s record investments in Ukraine’s defence by other countries, but especially by Germany!
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exports worldwide | €8.36 billion | €12.2 billion | €13.2 billion |
| Exports to Ukraine | €2,24 billion | €4.43 billion | €8.13 billion |
Commenting on the significant increase in exports connected to Ukraine, a state secretary responsible for the ministry noted that the figures underline the fact that Germany continues to stand firmly by Ukraine’s side in its defence against the Russian war of aggression.
Furthermore, he explained that the military assistance of Ukraine is also in Germany’s security policy interests.
The definitive figures for the current year are likely to exceed those currently available, albeit only slightly. In any case, a relatively sharp decline in the numbers for 2025 should already be clear, at least as things stand at present.
As a result of the collapse of the governing coalition, only just over €4.1 billion in military equipment for Ukraine has been contractually bound, and the emergency budget is even overspent as only €4 billion are available.
However, this does not mean that there is currently a serious funding deficit, as according to the German Ministry of Finance, the difference is to be covered by reimbursements via the EPF.
Whether the future government will increase the budget for the procurement of military assistance to assist Ukraine in their defence in the course of the coming year is still completely open, although it is definitely needed.
Both the Chancellery and the Ministry of Defence have repeatedly pointed out that Ukraine must start on an equal footing or better in future negotiations with Russia. A possible decrease in military assistance of more than €3 billion is likely to put an end to this plan.
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Changelog
- 18th of December 2024 — Minimal rounding error in the annual overview corrected
