According to a report by the International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in Stockholm, published on Monday, arms imports to Europe will almost double in 2022 thanks to massive shipments to Ukraine, which has become the world’s third-largest destination, AFP notes.

According to this study, cited by Agerpres, imports increased by 93% in one year thanks to increases in military spending by several European states, such as Poland and Norway, which will continue to accelerate.

“The invasion has indeed caused a significant increase in the demand for arms in Europe, which has not yet shown its full potential and is likely to lead to further increases in imports,” said Peter Wezeman, co-author of the annual report for more than three decades.

Outside of Ukraine, the growth of European imports, however, reached 35% in 2022, according to SIPRI data.

Ukraine, until now a minor arms importer, suddenly became the world’s third-largest arms destination after Qatar and India last year, a direct result of Western aid to fend off Russian aggression.

The country accounted for 31% of Europe’s arms imports and 8% of global trade, according to data provided to AFP by SIPRI in its annual report.

According to the Stockholm Institute, in 2022 Kyiv’s imports, including Western donations, will grow more than 60 times.

Billions of dollars for weapons

Mostly used equipment, deliveries to Ukraine mainly include about 230 units of American artillery, 280 Polish armored vehicles or more than 7,000 British anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft systems, this time new, SIPRI lists.

To compile its ranking of the global arms trade, the institute prefers units of value that are specific to it, rather than dollars or euros.

While this is difficult to quantify due to the opacity of many contracts, experts estimate that the global arms trade exceeds $100 billion a year.

For the total amount of military spending, which for the first time exceeded 2000 billion dollars in 2021, according to SIPRI.

Impressive growth of European imports

The impressive growth of European imports was expected due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

But it sharply accelerates the upward trend in the old continent, a consequence of rearmament that began a few years after Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, and which has now kicked into high gear.

“European countries have either already ordered, or are planning to do so, all types of weapons. Submarines, fighter jets, in addition to drones, anti-tank missiles, guns and radars,” Wezeman stressed. “Everything is being checked because the idea is to strengthen military capabilities across the spectrum,” he added.

Over the past five years (2018-2022), the period SIPRI prefers for identifying trends, European imports have increased by 47% compared to the previous five years, while global trade has decreased by 5%.

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