Ukraine became the second largest recipient of German weapons with €500M in the first quarter of 2023.

According to Euractiv, Germany approved €2.4B in total arms exports in the first quarter of 2023. First place was taken by Hungary, which received military goods worth € 760M, and in second place was Ukraine after criticism was directed at Germany over its reluctance to supply Kyiv with heavy weapons.

Nevertheless, Berlin has become one of Ukraine’s key military suppliers, recently providing Kyiv with 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks, considered among the most powerful weapons in the West’s arsenal. In the first three quarters of 2022, Ukraine also ranked second, with total arms exports in those nine months of around €780M.

The German government says the full approved amount of support for Ukraine is €2.7B, excluding goods that do not require government approval such as health care or trucks. The Kiel Institute of World Economics estimates Germany’s military support at €3.57B, which puts the country in third place after the UK and the US.