Reference News Network, March 14 report: According to the German "Rheinische Post" website, March 11 report, the value of weapons exports approved by the German federal government in 2025 reached a record high. According to the government's response to a question from the Left Party parliamentary group in the Bundestag, the total value of weapons exported by Germany last year exceeded 13.11 billion euros. For comparison, Germany approved exports of about 12.83 billion euros worth of weapons in 2024, which was 280 million euros less than in 2025.
The 13.11 billion euros worth of weapons can be divided into two categories: one is combat weapons worth 5.62 billion euros, including aircraft, tanks, fully automatic pistols, and warships; the rest are other military equipment worth 7.49 billion euros, including single-shot pistols, revolvers, shotguns, sport rifles, and radar and radio equipment, among others.
Most of the weapons were exported to EU countries, NATO countries, or countries with status similar to NATO members (such as Switzerland). In 2025, the country that received the most German weapons remained Ukraine: a total of 2.27 billion euros worth of military equipment was sold to Ukraine last year. The second to fifth largest recipients were Norway, Sweden, Turkey, and Singapore. A significant amount of German military equipment also went to the Middle East: Israel received about 201 million euros worth of weapons and supplies, and Qatar about 194 million euros.
Jansu Özdemir, the foreign policy spokesperson for the Left Party parliamentary group, criticized the increase in Germany's arms exports. She said, "This is not a restrained, human rights-focused policy - the government is just a approval machine for the arms industry." She criticized the fact that, at a time when global conflicts are escalating, the German defense industry is making a fortune backed by the government.
On the 9th, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute released a report on global arms exports. The report shows that between 2021 and 2025, Germany rose to become the fourth-largest arms exporter in the world, accounting for 5.7% of the total global arms export volume. During the same period, its export volume ranked only behind the United States, France, and Russia. The institute pointed out that compared to the previous five years from 2016 to 2020, Germany's arms exports have increased by 15% in the past five years. (Translation/ Zhong Sirui)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7617010424185979398/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.