German weapon stocks depleting, no longer able to provide to Ukraine
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Germany won't be able to send weapons anymore, but it will continue to support Kiev in the future.
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Bundeswehr soldiers load a US M109 tank onto a transporter. (Reuters)
The German military is running out of weapons that can be sent to Ukraine, but Ukraine may still rely on Germany's assistance in the future, according to German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, as reported by Germany's DPA news agency.
"We are unable to send many [weapons] from the Bundeswehr," Lambrecht said.
Read more: Half of Germans oppose sending heavy weapons to Ukraine
The minister also said that Oleksii Reznikov, her Ukrainian counterpart, was already informed about the limited capacities of the Bundeswehr, as the German minister added that Ukraine may still rely on German assistance in the future.
Earlier this month, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action announced that Ukraine became the second largest importer of German weapons after Berlin approved the exporting of $584 million worth of weaponry to Ukraine within the first 6 months of 2022.
BMWK said in a report that the German cabinet had approved a total of $4.31 billion in arms exports worldwide, a two-fold increase year on year.
The Netherlands still held first place in terms of arms exports from Germany, with arms deliveries amounting to $1.87 billion. Ukraine, on the other hand, came in second with approved exports averaging $584 million.
The European Union, NATO, and allies, including Ukraine and South Korea, accounted for 92% of all approved German arms export deals in the first half of the year - a total of $3.96 billion in agreed contracts.
For German arms-producing firms to sign defense contracts, they require the approval of the German cabinet. The number of concluded contracts, however, does not represent the actual arms supplies made during the said period since the deliveries could only be made after the government's approval and may take place after the reporting period.
