 "Servicemen of the 44th Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a Leopard 1A5 tank during a training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on February 5, 2025. Reuters File")
European Nato members have become even more dependent on US weapons than before, according to a Politico report, citing the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) data.
According to the report, the US supplied 52 per cent of European Nato members’ military equipment between 2015 and 2019, which rose to 64 per cent in the subsequent five-year period.
Overall, European arms imports shot up by 155 per cent over 2020-2024 compared to 2015-2019 — a reaction to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
“Europeans are taking steps to boost their own industries,” Politico quoted Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher with SIPRI, as saying.
“The transatlantic arms-supply relationship has deep roots. Imports from the USA have risen and European Nato states have almost 500 combat aircraft and many other weapons still on order from the USA,” Wezeman added.
The report highlights Europe’s significant rearmament amid fears that the Trump administration may be realigning with Russia, raising doubts about the reliability of US security guarantees.
This uncertainty has prompted European countries to reconsider their dependence on American weaponry. For instance, German economists have cautioned against purchasing F-35 fighter jets.
According to Sipri, key arms suppliers to European Nato countries include France, South Korea, Germany, and Israel.
From 2020 to 2024, Ukraine has emerged as the world’s largest arms importer, primarily sourcing weapons from the US, Germany, and Poland.
Ukraine alone accounted for 8.8% of global arms imports form 2020-24, and just under half of those imports were from the US, which under President Donald Trump has paused military aid to Kyiv.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsRussia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to the biggest confrontation between the West and Russia since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Kremlin and the White House have said missteps could trigger World War Three.
The war has underlined Europe’s dependence on US arms although the trans-Atlantic alliance, the foundation of Europe’s security strategy since World War Two, is increasingly being questioned.
European leaders last Thursday backed plans to spend more on defence following Trump’s reversal of US policies.
Russian arms exports dropped to 7.8% of the global market in the 2020-24 period, compared to 21% in the previous four-year period, as a result of international sanctions over the war in Ukraine and increased domestic demand for weapons.
Asia and Oceania’s arms imports dropped 21%, mainly because of China producing more of its own weapons.
Overall, global arms transfers were roughly at the same level in the 2020-2024 period as in the previous four years, the SIPRI data showed.
With inputs from agencies