Arms imports to Europe surge despite global decline: SIPRI

STOCKHOLM, March 13 (Xinhua) -- European states' imports of major arms over the five years between 2018 and 2022 surged significantly compared with that of the 2013-2017 period, despite the global arms transfers decreased during the same period, a Swedish research institute said on Monday.

In its latest report of global arms sales, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said during the 2018-2022 period, the imports of major arms by European states increased by 47 percent from the five years between 2013 and 2017, while the global arms transfers decreased by 5.1 percent during the same period.

During the stated period, arms imports in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and the Middle East fell by 40 percent, 21 percent, 7.5 percent and 8.8 percent respectively, according to the report.

In the meantime, European North Atlantic Treaty Organization states increased their arms imports by 65 percent mainly due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The report also said that the U.S. dominance of the global arms trade increased, as its share of global arms exports surged from 33 percent to 40 percent while Russia's share fell from 22 percent to 16 percent.

In the Asia-Pacific region, South Korea, Japan and Australia's arms imports soared 61 percent, 171 percent and 23 percent respectively, with the United States as the main supplier to the three countries. In the Middle East, the largest arms supplier is also the United States, providing 54 percent of the region's arms imports.

As a result of military aid from the United States and many European states following the Ukraine crisis in February 2022, Ukraine became the 3rd biggest importer of major arms during 2022.

"Even as arms transfers have declined globally, those to Europe have risen sharply due to the tensions between Russia and most other European states," said Pieter D. Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme, in a press release.

Headquartered in Stockholm, SIPRI's research covers international conflicts, armaments, arms control and disarmament.