International arms trade: USA, France and Russia at the forefront

According to the annual report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the United States, France, Russia, China, and Germany are the world’s top five arms exporters. Russia’s arms export industry has been struggling due to its war with Ukraine and economic difficulties, causing it to drop from second to third place. Between 2014-2018 and 2019-2023, arms exports from Russia decreased by 53%, and the number of significant customers decreased from 31 to 12 countries. The poor performance of Russian equipment and technology on Ukraine’s battlefields has also affected its arms sales.

On the other hand, the US share in global arms exports increased from 34 to 42%, and its products were exported to 107 countries. Meanwhile, European countries doubled their weapons imports between 2019 and 2023. During this period, Ukraine became the number one importer in Europe and the fourth in the world. The United States, Germany, and Poland were the primary arms suppliers to Ukraine last year. India, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar overtook Ukraine in world arms imports, with Qatar increasing its imports fourfold.

In recent years, Japan increased its import by two and a half times, and Australia also started purchasing arms. Konstantinos Filis, a professor of history at the American College of Greece, summarises global military spending by stating that we live in a world of transition that is fluid and unstable. The UN has a decorative function, and there is a whole group of revisionist forces.