Ukraine becomes the world’s third-largest arms importer in 2022
Ukraine is now the third-largest arms importer in the world, thanks to the large amount of kg that the U.S. and European nations provided in military assistance following the Russian invasion in February 2014.
According to a new study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), from 1991 to the end of 2021, Ukraine imported a small number of major weapons, while over the last five years, the country accounted for 2% of the world’s arms imports, the SIPRI wrote on March 13.
The institute’s data shows that European weaponry imports increased by 47% between 2013-2022, “due to tensions between Russia, most European states”
SIPRI also stated that the United States had an increased share of arms exports from 33 to 40 percent, while Russia’s dropped from 22 to 16%.
‘Due to concerns about how the supply of combat aircraft and long-range missiles could further escalate the war in Ukraine, NATO states declined Ukraine’s requests for them in 2022. At the same time, they supplied such arms to other states involved in the conflict, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia,’ said Pieter D. Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.
Ukraine has been requesting fighter jets for months to defend its skies and maximize the effectiveness of its combined arms forces during a future counteroffensive. However, multiple Western allies, including the U.S. and Germany, have ruled out sending planes now.
On March 8 in Stockholm, EU defense ministers agreed to ramp up the supply of ammunition to Ukraine but have yet to reach a “concrete and formal decision.”
