US arms sales reached a record $238bn (£188bn) last year, new figures show, fuelled in part by demand over the war in Ukraine.
Washington directly negotiated $80.9bn (£63.8bn) in sales with foreign governments in 2023 – a 56% increase from the previous year.
The rest were direct sales by US firms to foreign nations, according to the US state department figures.
Sales approved last year included $10bn (£7.9bn) worth of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Poland, $2.9bn (£2.3bn) worth of advanced air-to-air missiles to Germany, and National Advanced Surface to Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) to Ukraine.
“Arms transfers and defence trade are important US foreign policy tools with potential long-term implications for regional and global security,” the state department said.
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