He Stockholm International Peace Studies Institute (SIPRI) has published its . And the role of Europe in the document is huge.
The main conclusion of the research is that Europe has more than tripled its arms imports over the last five yearsbecoming the largest receiving region in the world in that period.
Specifically, Arms imports by European countries increased by 210% between 2016–2020 and 2021–2025. Almost half of the weapons transferred to Europe came from the US (48%). Poland (a country bordering Ukraine) and the United Kingdom have been the European countries that have imported the most weapons in the last five years.
One of the most striking data from the SIPRI global arms transfers report is that, over the last five years, Europe has purchased 33% of all the heavy weapons that have been sold in the world.
The figures are a clear sign of the extent to which European countries believe that, after having carried out the military invasion of Ukrainian territory, Russia could try to start a new war in Europe in the short or medium term.
In this sense, Mathew George, director of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Program, has highlighted that “deliveries to Ukraine from 2022 are the most obvious factorbut most other European states have also begun to import significantly more weapons to bolster their military capabilities in the face of a perceived growing threat from Russia.
The US consolidates itself as the largest arms exporter
As for the , there are no surprises, The US continues to occupy first place worldwide. The North American country supplied 42% of all international arms transfers in 2021-2025, compared to 36% in the 2016-2020 period.
Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher at the SIPRI Arms Transfer Program, has highlighted in this regard that “The US has further consolidated its dominance as an arms suppliereven in an increasingly multipolar world”.
“For importers, US weapons offer advanced capabilities and a way to foster good relations with the USwhile the US considers arms exports as a foreign policy tool and a way to strengthen its arms industry,” Wezeman said.
