According to an analysis by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Ukraine is currently the state with the largest arms imports in the world. Ukraine’s imports of heavy weapons in the period 2020-2024 increased almost a hundred times compared to the period 2015-2019, IPN reportes.

These studies refer to the volume of arms transfers, not the financial value. And given that this volume can fluctuate significantly from year to year, the researchers compare five-year periods, in this case the period 2015-2019.

Ukraine accounts for 8.8% of the world’s total imports of heavy weapons. Since the outbreak of full-scale war in February 2022, at least 35 countries have contributed to Ukraine’s arms, with the United States accounting for 45%, followed by Germany (12%) and Poland (11%).

Studies have shown that arms imports to Europe increased by 155% between 2015 and 2019 and between 2020 and 2024.

“The new data on arms transfers clearly reflect the rearmament that is taking place among European states in response to the threat from Russian Federation”, said Mathew George, director of the SIPRI program.

Meanwhile, during the same period, India ranked second with 8.3% of arms imports, followed by Qatar with 6.8%, Saudi Arabia with 6.8% and Pakistan with 4.6%.

It should be noted that US President Donald Trump has suspended military aid to Ukraine. This decision was taken after a failed discussion in the Oval Office between the White House leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Foto: Alexander Cook /US Air Force/Staff Sgt