European arms imports soared in past four years

European arms imports rose 155 per cent in 2020-24, with Ukraine becoming the world’s biggest arms importer following Russia’s three years ago.

Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows the United States continues to dominate the global stage, with US companies increasing their share of global arms exports to 43 per cent in 2020-24, from 35 per cent in 2015-2019.

US arms exports amounted to about the same share of the global market as the next eight countries combined.

Ukraine accounts for 8.8 per cent of the total volume of imports in heavy weaponry. (AP PHOTO)

Europe as a whole accounted for 28 per cent of global arms imports from 2020-24, up from 11 per cent between 2015 and 2019, SIPRI said on Monday.

Ukraine alone accounted for 8.8 per cent of global arms imports from 2020-24, and just under half of those imports were from the US, which under President Donald Trump has paused military aid to Kyiv.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to the biggest confrontation between the West and Russia since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Kremlin and the White House have said missteps could trigger World War Three.

The war has underlined Europe’s dependence on US arms although the trans-Atlantic alliance, the foundation of Europe’s security strategy since World War Two, is being questioned.

The US supplied more than 50 per cent of Europe’s arms imports from 2020-24, with Britain, the Netherlands and Norway among the top buyers, the SIPRI data showed.

“With an increasingly belligerent Russia and transatlantic relations under stress during the first Trump presidency, European NATO states have taken steps to reduce their dependence on arms imports and to strengthen the European arms industry,” said Pieter Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.

Ukrainian arms imports grew almost 100-fold when comparing the last two five-year periods. (AP PHOTO)

“But the transatlantic arms-supply relationship has deep roots. Imports from the USA have risen and European NATO states have almost 500 combat aircraft and many other weapons still on order from the USA.”

Russian arms exports dropped to 7.8 per cent of the global market in the 2020-24 period, compared to 21 per cent in the previous four-year period, as a result of international sanctions over the war in Ukraine and increased domestic demand for weapons.

Asia and Oceania’s arms imports dropped 21 per cent, mainly because of China producing more of its own weapons.

Overall, global arms transfers were roughly at the same level in the 2020-2024 period as in the previous four years.

with dpa

This post was originally published on Michael West.