Ukraine became the world's largest importer of major weapons in 2020-24, increasing imports almost 100-fold compared to 2015-19, while Russian exports fell by 64%.
Points of attention
- Ukraine has seen a dramatic surge in major weapons imports, becoming the largest importer globally in 2020-24 with a nearly 100-fold increase compared to the previous period.
- The rise in defense and armament spending in Ukraine is likely driven by growing threats from the Russian Federation, leading to increased support from allies like the United States, Germany, and Poland.
- According to SIPRI, American arms supplies to Ukraine and European NATO member states have significantly increased as a response to perceived threats from Russia, marking a shift in arms export trends.
Ukraine imports the most weapons in the world
Such data is provided by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Thus, in 2020-24, 8.8% of global arms imports fell to Ukraine. Most of the main supplies came from the USA (45%), Germany (12%), and Poland (11%).
In total, at least 35 countries sent weapons to Ukraine after the full-scale Russian invasion.
SIPRI analysts also emphasize the great importance of American arms supplies to European NATO member states, which they believe is a response to threats from Russia. According to the study, 64% of arms imports during the reporting period came from the United States.
Overall, arms imports by European NATO members have more than doubled (by 105%) compared to the previous five years.
For the first time in two decades, the largest share of American arms exports went to Europe (35%), rather than the Middle East (33%).
US arms exports have increased by 43% overall, with the country supplying major weapons to 107 countries in 2020-24. It is followed by France as the second largest arms exporter (9.6%, 65 countries), Germany (5.6%), Italy 4.8%. China accounts for 5.9%, but many major importers do not buy Chinese weapons for political reasons.
Unlike the US, Russia’s arms exports have fallen sharply (-64%) to 7.8%. The decline began even before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine: in 2020 and 2021, export volumes were much lower than in any year in the previous two decades.
SIPRI experts write that the two most important arms trade sectors for Russia have already weakened: India is increasingly preferring other suppliers, and China is receiving more weapons from its own rapidly developing arms industry.
In 2020-24, the Russian Federation supplied major types of weapons to 33 countries. Two-thirds of Russian arms exports went to India (38%), China (17%), and Kazakhstan (11%).
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