VATICAN CITY - A report by the Stockholm Research Institute shows a 155% increase in European arms imports between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024 as a "response" to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Giovanni Zavatta - Vatican City
It is the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, that continues to strongly influence the arms transfer figures published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). Indeed, the latest report, published today, 10 March, shows that Ukraine has become the world's largest importer of heavy weapons in the period 2020-2024, with purchases from abroad increasing almost 100-fold compared to the period 2015-2019.
Growth in arms imports to Europe
Another significant fact is the increase in arms imports to Europe - a total of 155 % between the same periods - again as a "response" to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and uncertainty about the future of US foreign policy. The latter, for its part, further increased its share of global arms exports to 43 %, while exports from Russia fell by 64 %. "The new figures clearly reflect the continued arming of states in Europe in response to the threat from Russia," says Mathew George, Sipri's director of arms transfers. At least thirty-five countries have sent weapons to Ukraine since February 2022, and more deliveries are on the way. Between 2020 and 2024, Kiev received 8.8 per cent of global imports, with the majority coming from the US (45 per cent), Germany (12) and Poland (11).
Overview of arms deliveries in the world
It is worth noting that France has become the second largest arms supplier in the world in the period 2020-2024, having supplied arms to sixty-five countries. French exports to other European countries almost tripled between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024, especially in the case of fighter aircraft deliveries to Greece and Croatia and deliveries to Ukraine. By far the largest share, however, went to India (28 %), followed by Qatar (9.7 %).Browsing through Sipri's documentation, we find that Asia and Oceania remain the two continents with the largest arms imports. However, the share allocated to them has fallen from 41 % to 33 %. The decline is largely due to China reducing its arms imports by 64 % and replacing them with locally designed and manufactured systems. Major importing countries on both continents include India (the second largest in the world), Pakistan, Japan and Australia. Focusing on the Middle East, foreign purchases decreased by 20 % between the two periods under review. However, "regional conflicts and tensions continue to stimulate demand for arms imports in the region," says researcher Zain Hussain, "and given the volume of backlogs, the Middle East will continue to be a major import region." Israel "received substantial military aid from the US after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack", while Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis "rely on Iranian weapons".
Uncertainty in Africa
Insecurity and conflict are also leading to a surge in imports in West Africa. Arms transfers have increased significantly over the last fifteen years. Combined foreign purchases almost doubled between 2010-2014 and 2020-2024 (+82 %). By far the largest share (34 percent) is accounted for by Nigeria. The growth in West Africa, comments Sipri expert Katarina Djokic, "has been staggering. While the volume of imports remains relatively small, it has important geopolitical implications. Countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal appear to be rapidly increasing their imports. Arms suppliers are using exports to strengthen their influence in this part of the world, including emerging suppliers such as Turkey". States import by far the most long-range offensive weapons, but there is growing interest in long-range land-based missiles. Between 2020 and 2024, the US supplied 45 % of global missile exports. Then, the data on Brazil stands out: arms purchases increased by 77 percent between the two periods under review and accounted for 49 percent of all arms imports to South America between 2020 and 2024. The main suppliers in this region of the world are France, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Comments by the Secretary of the Organising Committee of the Catholic Social Week
One of the key aspects of the Sipri report is the increase in military spending at the European level. According to the secretary of the organising committee of the Catholic Social Week, Sebastian Nerozzi, who was interviewed by the Vatican media, there is a risk that social welfare will be cut in order to increase spending on armaments, "even if this is not imminent, because the spending is deducted from the fiscal parameters and can therefore be financed in deficit. However, it must be taken into account that then, in addition to the regulatory aspects, deficits always have an impact on the stability perceived by the markets and on public debts, and may therefore require adjustments, which in such a case would affect precisely social spending. Thus, it is not necessarily a zero-sum equation to be taken lightly'. The increase in military spending goes hand in hand with the difficulties of diplomacy. According to Nerozzi, in Europe, "we may have long remained in the false security of American protection, without realizing that this requires a qualitative shift in the diplomatic experiments being undertaken. Too much nationalism, too much focus on self-interest and too little ability to coordinate. Only a Europe that can speak with one voice can coordinate its security measures and, above all, on the other hand, put forward a diplomatic strategy that is credible, that is oriented towards genuinely democratic values and that can bring about a solution to the conflicts that are now occurring on our continent'.
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