France has overtaken Russia as the second largest arms exporter after Russia’s imports by European countries have doubled over the past five years

The invasion of Ukraine has dramatically boosted the trend of new weapons purchases in Europe, the International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has revealed.
War Editor
Sweden: The latest research report of the International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) based in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, has revealed that France has overtaken Russia in the arms trade and has come to second place in the list and the United States has become the world’s largest arms exporter. But it has strengthened its position in arms sales. According to the International Peace Research Institute, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the ongoing war since then have dramatically driven the trend of new weapons purchases in Europe, The main benefit has been the American arms manufacturing companies. Compared to the period between 2014 and 2018, the data from 2019 to 2023 shows that the overall arms trade decreased by 3.3%, but in this period. Arms imports by European countries have doubled over the past five years. The majority of arms sales to European countries, 55 percent, come from the United States, up 20 percent from the previous period. has increased by 17% in total exports. This was mainly made possible by the sale of American weapons to European countries. US arms manufacturers sold arms to 107 countries, the largest arms trade SIPRI has ever conducted. According to SIPRI Arms Transfer Program Director Matthew George, has further enhanced its global role as an important aspect of its foreign policy. That means providing more weapons to more countries than it has ever done before.”
“This reality comes at a time when America’s economic and geopolitical dominance is being challenged by emerging powers,” added Matthew George. Arms imports into Ukraine have increased dramatically. From 2019 to 2023, Ukraine became the fourth largest buyer of arms worldwide, after India, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Meanwhile, arms imports rose by 6,600 percent.