European countries significantly increased arms imports

(Patria) - European countries have significantly increased arms imports from 2018 to 2022 compared to the previous five years, and the US share in global exports has strongly increased, the Swedish International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) announced today.

In the period from 2018 to 2022, European arms imports increased by 47 percent compared to the period from 2013 to 2017, according to the Swedish institute, which monitors the export and import of aircraft, warships, tanks, artillery, missiles, and various weapon systems.

European NATO members increased their imports by 65 percent, Hina reports.

- Although arms transfers worldwide have decreased, they have sharply increased towards Europe due to tensions between Russia and most other European countries - stated Pieter D. Wezeman, a senior researcher at SIPRI, in a press release.

- After the invasion of Ukraine, European countries want to import more weapons, and in a shorter period - added Wezeman.

Globally, arms imports decreased by 5.1 percent.

African countries reduced imports by 40 percent, and those in North and South America by 21 percent. Imports in the Asia-Pacific region also decreased, by 7.5 percent, and in the Middle East, by 8.8 percent.

The exception in Asia are countries in the eastern part of the continent and "certain countries in other areas with high levels of geopolitical tension," they note.

- Strategic competition continues in other parts of the world: arms imports to East Asia have increased, and deliveries to the Middle East have remained at a high level - explained Wezeman.

The US and Russia have been the largest and second-largest arms exporters in the world for the past three decades. In the period from 2018 to 2022, the US increased its lead, with exports 14 percent higher compared to the previous five years. The US share in global exports increased from 33 to 40 percent.

Russian arms exports, on the other hand, decreased by 31 percent, and its share in global exports fell from 22 to 16 percent.

France, ranked third, approached Russia with an increase in its share of global exports from 7.1 percent in the period from 2013 to 2017 to 11 percent in the five-year period ending in 2022.

- The invasion of Ukraine will likely further limit Russian arms exports, as Russia will prioritize supplying its own armed forces, while demand from other countries will remain low due to trade sanctions - said Wezeman.

Last year, SIPRI warned that the global nuclear arsenal is likely to grow in the coming years, Reuters notes.